Part 1: The Second Tomoe
by SheRipper
Summary: The evil organization Kara is after Boruto, Kawaki fled Konoha, Sasuke Uchiha will take Boruto and protect him far away. Once again, Sarada has to say goodbye to her father, do her best not to blame Boruto for this, and move to her goal of Hokage in a village still somewhat resentful of the Uchiha. Can she do it? Will Naruto turn into an unexpected mentor?Will Mitsuki leave too?
1. Chapter 1

A|N: I've liked the Boruto series, but it could be so much more. Anyways - this is my version of Naruto - Next Generations! It follows canon of Boruto up to chapter 20 of the manga, and episode 50 I think of the anime. Starting with the fun stuff - Sarada's Sharingan(be warned much humor - I can't help myself so - jokes!)

* * *

_CHAPTER 1_

It's been decided, Boruto is going to leave and train with Papa. Sarada walks through the village, thinking how in one month they'll both be gone. Not only is she losing Papa again for another long-term mission, but now Boruto is going too. Boruto gets to go on an adventure, getting to spend more time with her father then she ever has, getting to train under him even though _he's_ not a Uchiha, and still manages to _**whine**_ about his so called 'Misfortunes'.

So now, here she is, walking by Boruto's side as he complains to Mitsuki because he's not allowed to go out on any missions until he and Papa take their leave. The Seventh Hokage doesn't want Boruto's mysterious Dojutsu falling to enemy hands before they get a handle on what it even is.

"Maaaaan! I can't believe my stupid old man – he totally just put me on village-arrest! I'm a ninja too!"

"It's going to be weird, not having you on missions." Mitsuki says serenely, smiling without emotion as he always does.

"Like – if you two and Konohamaru -Onii-Chan end up with another cat-retrieval mission I'm not really sorry to miss that, you know?" Boruto says, looking relived by the mere thought. "But what if you get some super-awesome-major-badass mission – and I'm all the way here at the freaking village?! _I could just die!_" Boruto yells, grabbing Sarada by the shoulders and shaking her to emphasize his words.

She shoves him away. "Shut up you moron! You're so annoying!" she snaps, fixing her glasses.

"What?! What's your problem?!" he demands, indignant.

"_You're_ my problem!"

"How am I a moron?!"

"How are you NOT a moron?!" she yells back, by now they are in each other's faces.

"You two really make the best couple." Mitsuki grins.

"Seriously stop saying it! Dattebasa!"

"Are you blind, Shannaro?!"

They both round on Mitsuki, who as usual, doesn't seem the bit concerned.

The three walk in silence for a while, Sarada and Boruto both disgruntled with the other, and Mitsuki not one to break silences and start up conversations.

Sarada catches Boruto glancing at her, sulky and confused as to why she picked a fight over nothing. He blushes when he sees he's caught and turns away resolutely, facing Mitsuki's side of the town.

Sarada hadn't resented Boruto when her dad started training him during The Chunin exams four months ago, she hasn't resented him when it was decided Sarada's father will need to leave again to protect and train him, because she knows he didn't ask for all of this mess with Kara – no, he is her moron childhood friend, and he never does these things intentionally or with ill will. But when he's like this – all ungrateful and whiney – she can't help but want to rip him apart piece by piece!

_**He has no idea how lucky he is, and that just rubs me the wrong way.**_

Sarada sighs; as always, she's going to have to be the bigger person here, since Boruto's maturity level borders on the non-existent (and it may be possible that, theoretically, this time, she is the one who started it). She shoves her feelings aside, as she does before any mission, and elbows Boruto in a friendly peace offering familiar gesture.

Boruto chuckles happily and elbows her gently back, grudge washing off of him.

Sarada rolls her eyes at him fondly.

"Don't couples usually make up with a kiss?"

"Would you drop it already Mitsuki?!" they both roar.

POFF!

"Hey you ugly humans! Don't go stepping on me, damn it! Down here you puny punks! Down here!"

The three look down to see one of Konohamaru -Sensei's toads, a cm away from getting squashed by Boruto's foot.

Unsurprisingly, out of the three, Boruto is the only one to take the bait. "Hey! Where do you get off calling us puny punks? You're smaller then my shoe!"

"Stop your yammering! Humans are so annoying! I gotta get back home, its fish intestines Tuesday! So take your message and screw off!"

Sarada's stomach turns at the thought in disgust and she covers her mouth with her hand to keep her breakfast in. Mitsuki reaches down to take the sealed scroll attached to the toad's belly, untying the knot.

"Oh yeah? Well you're a slimy -!"

"Write the rest down in your journal pretty boy!" the toad yawns and breaks the summoning as soon as Mitsuki relieves it of its duty.

POFF!

Boruto nearly has steam coming out his ears as he is left with his words stuck half way out his mouth. "That's it! I've decided! No toads for me, Dattebasa! Ha! Take that you little -!"

"Mitsuki?" Sarada inquires.

Mitsuki looks up once he scanned the contents of the scroll. "Mission tomorrow, we leave at dawn." He tells her.

"Meeting place?"

"The usual."

Sarada nods.

Boruto kicks a rock into a flurry of doves moodily; some of them open and close their wings in surprise, but otherwise they ignore it. "Guess I'm actually staying behind… Stupid old man."

"Cheer up Boruto, this means more time to train with my Father. Besides, it might be another cat." Sarada frowns; getting depressed just thinking about doing the same mundane job again for the twentieth time.

Boruto nods, trying to look more energetic. "Yeah, you're probably right Sarada, thanks."

"Actually I doubt it'll be another cat, they usually don't make those C-Rank missions." Mitsuki interjects.

Both Sarada and Boruto look at him in surprise.

"What?"

"You're joking!"

"Says so right here."Mitsuki shows them. "Came directly from the Hokage's office too, making it hard for it to be a mistake."

"A C-Rank mission? Really?!" Sarada calls, barely believing it.

_**Finally**_.

Team Seven hasn't had a mission over D-Rank since Boruto cheated at The Chunin Exams.

"I wonder what changed The Seventh's mind about our missions." Mitsuki wonders out loud, looking curious. "Maybe we've left an impression from the last mission. Or maybe Lord Seventh is just really nice."

Sarada rolls her eyes; she has no doubt Mitsuki saw right through this 'coincidence' right away.

"Or all that Raman has turned his head to steam, most likely." Boruto mutters, expression completely unimpressed with Lord Seventh.

_**Or maybe, now that Boruto isn't taking part in any of our missions, this team has the professional level to be trusted with higher ranking jobs.**_ Sarada itches to say.

"This totally sucks! Right when I can't go with you guys he gives you an actual mission! Come on!" Boruto yells, looking like he can't believe his bad luck.

Sarada can't believe Boruto doesn't see the clear connection; without him on the field Lord Seventh doesn't have to worry that sending them will create more problems then it'll solve - easy logic overall. She doesn't say as much, even though she has no doubt its true, because starting a fight a second time won't be forgiven with some lame elbow gesture, but might require her to actually apologize verbally, and that's something Uchiha do their best to avoid. So, she does not comment on it.

"How unfortunate, but timing in life is everything." Mitsuki consoles Boruto.

"I guess… I'm gonna go meet up with Sasuke-Sensei now, I'll see you guys later!" Boruto calls, turning another direction and starting a slow jug.

"Bye."

"See you later Boruto." Mitsuki waves, and as soon as Boruto is out of earshot he says to Sarada "Lord Seventh didn't wait an hour before assigning us a C-Rank mission, hu?"

"Is the departure actually at dawn?"

"Yes, but the meeting place is by the West Gate."

_**Almost an hour in the opposite direction.**_

"Good call." Sarada praises.

"Mmh." Mitsuki nods.

There's about 99% guarantee that Boruto will show up tomorrow at dawn at the usual meeting place demanding and begging Konohamaru -Sensei to let him join them just one more time, not letting up until Konohamaru -Sensei finally gives up and allows it because Boruto has a very strong Annoy-Them-Till-They-Drop-No-Jutsu.

"Oh hey you two!"

They both turn to see Sumire heading their way, carrying a backpack.

"Hey Class Prez, you heading out?" Sarada smiles, having missed the girl since they'd finished the Academy.

"Yes, Team 15 got a mission; I'm on my way to meet up with everyone now. How have things been for Team 7?" she asks, and Sarada snickers, causing her to blush. They both know she's asking about Boruto.

_**Class Prez sure is weird, liking that stubborn guy.**_

Boruto never pays attention to anything – doubtful he'll notice Sumire's affections.

Sumire coughs, her blush receding.

"What sort of a mission did you get?" Mitsuki asks, and Sarada wonders if he's really interested, or he asks because he's making progress in his study of The Art of Small Talk. At first when Mitsuki brought it up, she and Boruto thought he was making a joke; then Inojin told her his dad made him a disciple – study case: social interactions.

_**Why are both of my teammates so difficult? **_

"C-Rank – guarding mission for a Lord, I wonder how we'll do, I'm so worried, I haven't gone on missions in a while!"

"I'm sure it'll be easy for you, after all you're stro –"

"Hahahahahah! I'm so late! So very late! Well, um say hey to Boruto for me, I'll see you two later, bye! Ahahhaha!" she calls hysterically, swallowing Mitsuki's voice with her loud one, sprinting away from them.

_**Sure is weird.**_ Sarada thinks fondly; she's always liked the girl and got along with her.

Sarada looks at Mitsuki, who seems to be looking at the direction Boruto left towards. Mitsuki loves sticking close to Boruto, after this morning's meeting that will need to change, and eventually Mitsuki will lose sight of Boruto just as Sarada will lose sight of her father once again.

"Do you want to work on formation? Without Boruto, we'll need to change our usual strategies." Sarada offers. She originally thought about meeting up with Cho-Cho and hanging out, but with a C-Rank mission, and a different line up of her usual team, she needs to be ready and much more invested. Besides, her teammate looks very lost at the moment, he needs a distraction.

"…For a short while, I don't see why not." Mitsuki says. "But we may need your Sharingan tomorrow if it turns out complicated, so I'd suggest you rest up your energy, and not exhaust your chakra."

"Don't worry about my strength I'm an Uchiha. The Sharingan uses a lot of chakra, true, but it replenishes almost completely after a few hours like everyone else."

Mitsuki actually chuckles, which surprises Sarada – it's a rare sight (she's never seen him outright laugh at all – she doubts he ever did).

"It's only so because you possess the bloodline that can handle your Kekkei Genkai. Most would need at least two days to completely recover their chakra levels after exhausting them." He says, sounding robotic, like he's reading from a textbook.

Sarada shrugs, frowning. "Yeah yeah, I know that, stop trying to sound smarter than me. But it's easy to forget since all of us are the same in that respect in our team."

"Mmh. Boruto is an Uzumaki, their chakra is very unique." Mitsuki agrees.

"Yeah, and there's you who's – erm – well – haa… And then there's Konohamaru -Sensei who looks like a squeezed lemon after any battle he participates in for at least two days later still…"

_**I guess we found the exception for Team Seven.**_

They both contemplate this, thinking of Konohamaru -Sensei, and how there's no reaching him after a series battle because he usually sleeps for hours and hours.

"Is that really normal?" Mitsuki asks looking like something like that is just beyond his understanding.

Sarada is a Uchiha, and her mom breaks houses like most people break cups. She shrugs; she has no idea what's normal.

Mitsuki seems to accept that as a response, and wordlessly they head out to practice their new formations.

* * *

**A\N: oh I don't really know where this is headed… like I know where I'm taking this – but hands down I don't really have it mapped out yet at all! I guess I'll let the characters steer me for now :\ I'd appreciate any suggestions from you guys! It's my first Naruto\Boruto fic so I hope I didn't butcher any of the names or words – I tried to make it understandable even for those who only read\watched Naruto in English – but keep some of the fun Jutsu words here and there that are just too iconic to change**


	2. Chapter 2

There are streams of lighter blue strikes across the dark blue sky, in preparations for the sun rising.

Sarada adjusts her tool bag around her belt, to keep it from bumping with her backpack.

Mitsuki's yellow eyes stand like beacons in the shadowy beginning of the day, scanning the area around them both.

"He's here."

For a moment Sarada sets her shoulders for an argument, thinking Mitsuki is talking about Boruto. Then Konohamaru -Sensei approaches them quickly. She sighs, relieved but also feeling surreal.

_**This really is going to happen – missions without Boruto. **_

"Good you're both here – let's head out! We'll discuss the details of the mission on the way, Kore!" Konohamaru calls, barely stopping to address them as he kept going through the open gate.

Neither argues with him; Mitsuki and Sarada nod at each other then set out after him.

Konohamaru leads them in a fast run. "Alright, here's the thing, we're getting late into the game this time; this mission came a week ago and accidently got misfiled as a D-Rank, so it took a while to put it on the map, and by the time they figured out the mistake in rank the team they gave it to wasn't enough – they had just graduated the Academy last month, and so a C-Rank was too much." Konohamaru climbs one of the trees and starts hopping from tree to tree going in a general direction that has no road from down below to follow. Sarada and Mitsuki change direction and copy him.

"So we'll need to focus more on arrival, even if it means tiring ourselves from the journey, so keep up, and if you start to lose focus on your feet don't hesitate to use chakra to make sure you don't fall." Konohamaru says, glancing back to make sure they were catching up to him.

"Got it."

"Yes."

Sarada makes a note to check her chakra levels occasionally, to leave enough so she'll still be able to activate the Sharingan in a moment's notice if they find themselves under fire.

For a while no one speaks, all three jumping from tree branch to tree branch speedily.

"So what's the mission?" Mitsuki asked sharply.

"Oh right, hahahaha. Sorry, Kore! I just expected Boruto to have his usual fit of questions and whatnot – I was sort of waiting…" Konohamaru blushed. "It's at the border with The Land of Rivers. We'll aid patrol for three days as they've got the flu spreading there, and they need some fresh eyes and ears to help. We'll do what we can. I'll go by myself, you two together – if anything out of the ordinary you may view as a risk comes across you, you are to report to the closest border control shinobi. Any questions?"

"Are we expecting anything of potential risk to approach from the border?" Sarada asked at once.

"No we are not. Nothing is supposed to happen."

Sarada and Mitsuki glanced at each other. Those few formations they've done last night were the only time they worked alone together – quite frankly, Boruto was Sarada's bridge to the enigma that is Mitsuki. If she were honest, she wasn't completely sure he has her back – without Boruto, he may think saving her a waste of time if something happens.

_**If we want to be assigned more challenging jobs, this mission needs to go smoothly. I have to reach out to Mitsuki; we have to trust each other more. Why is it that it was so easy to do with Boruto in the mix?**_

Focused on keeping up the same speed, and generally used to silence, Sarada isn't sure how long they've gone without speaking until Konohamaru -Sensei comments on it suddenly.

"_SO_! Eh… you two have any other questions? Or maybe something you'd like to say?"

"No." Sarada said, perplexed.

"Not me." Mitsuki answers at once.

"Well… isn't that… great, Kore."

Sarada didn't find it convincing much, but didn't comment further on it. No one likes being told they're easy to read - shinobi in particular,

It wasn't long before Konohamaru spoke again. "Well Boruto is not with us today! Anything you want to say about it? Maybe talking will help!"

"About what?" Sarada asked.

"Anything you want!" Konohamaru said, his voice turning to a plea. "Mitsuki? What about you?"

Mitsuki blinked, and Sarada wasn't sure he understood what was being asked of him.

"Well, I do find your perplexing derision from silences annoying." He smiled shyly, like he just came up with a difficult text answer.

Sarada hid her snort behind the palm of her hand poorly.

Konohamaru did not say another ward until they reached the border, the back of his neck red.

* * *

"Six O'clock." Mitsuki said quickly.

Sarada turned to look, perplexed when a Leaf Shinobi she's never seen before came their way. She glanced at Mitsuki, concerned he treats fellow shinobi from the same village as them as threats.

Thinking about it, usually whenever somebody approaches them he alerts it – sometimes even Konohamaru -Sensei. A cold thought popped in Sarada's head – _**does he do that with me too?**_

"Are you from Konohamaru's group?" the green-haired kunoichi asked sharply, not bothering to go through a greeting or introductions before jumping right into it. Sarada liked her instantly.

"Yes. Where are we posted?" Sarada asked.

She nodded. "I'll show you – you'll be going back and forth between certain lengths of the border. Do not separate, and use this signal to alert us in case anyone or anything is approaching from your assigned territory. Questions?" she handed Sarada a small device with one button on it.

"No."

Mitsuki didn't even answer.

"Good. Let's go." She ran off and Sarada and Mitsuki followed.

It's been two hours of walking side by side in silence, keeping their eyes on the horizon to their left.

Realizing she was already bored she figured she might as well attempt it. "Hey Mitsuki, listen… Do you think we can work together, like, like a team?"

Mitsuki glanced at her, and then returned his sharp gaze on the barren land they were charged with guarding.

"I don't mind doing missions with you Sarada. But I need to be by Boruto's side."

"Need to be?"

"It is my will."

"…You're leaving with him, aren't you?" it hurt, when she was left behind by her father and by Boruto. She didn't realize it would hurt if Mitsuki left her too.

_**Now it's just me.**_

… _**And **__**Konohamaru**__**-Sensei.**_

_**Great. **_

"Yes. I – I need to know." Mitsuki frowned, and looked down at his hands. "Why the moon can rise when the sun is up, but the sun dies when the moon is up."

Sarada stayed still for a minute, and then resigned herself. Again, she'll have to be mature and let go. She sighed. "Right. Well, good luck, I hope you find what you need."

Mitsuki grinned at her politely. "We still have some missions to do together until Boruto leaves. Let's work together as a team, Sarada."

"Sure."

_**And then it'll be even worse when you leave like I don't matter. **_

_**Everyone is chasing after Boruto. I'm right here. How am I not good enough?**_

The silence after was heavier, but Sarada did not want to speak again.

They went on, uneventfully, with their job for long hours every day for four days, passing the dull times with a suggestion made, surprisingly, by Mitsuki. Every day, nothing happened. When they were relieved they all lodged together in a small chamber built close by to their section of the border.

On the morning of the fifth day, before they separated, Konohamaru told them "Today's the last day. Tonight we're done, and we'll head back to the village."

"They still don't have enough guards to patrol." Mitsuki said. They've both noticed that there were far too little guard shinobi around.

"Flu's dying out – most of the ill shinobi will be reinstated for duty starting tomorrow morning. Pack up, we won't be coming back to the lodging."

Sarada made sure everything was on her person or in her small backpack. She put it on and turned to Mitsuki. "Ready?"

"Yes." He said, pulling a bit on the straps of his own bag to make both even.

They both headed out to their usual location. Sarada could hear the sounds of the border shinobi training in the background as some do most mornings. They clocked in with Nina-San (the green-haired kunoichi in charge of their section) and started their last shift.

"I'm not sure, but I think I insulted you."

No warning. Sarada wasn't sure how to respond, so she didn't. She just kept watching the landscape.

"You see, Boruto attracts me."

Sarada's jaw fell, and she stared at Mitsuki, shocked.

"I came to the leaf village to be with him."

Sarada felt herself redden. "O-oh. Well, I didn't realize – " She took a deep breath. "I want you to know I support you, Mitsuki. Yeah. If you need to talk I'm here for you."

He grinned. "You sound like Konohamaru -Sensei. I don't understand it too well myself, but I need to find out why I keep being pulled towards him. It's like my body knows something that I don't…" he seemed deep in thought, lost in his own words.

"Eh? Wait, you meant attracted like – physically? You're actually _gravitated_ towards Boruto?"

Mitsuki tilted his head to the side to show his confusion at her needing to ask. "Yes, I meant what I said. My powers and my destiny are tied to his, I know it."

"Oh – _oh_! I misunderstood. It's on me, yes. Destiny, and powers, of course…Yes. I thought – no never mind now I get it – we're on the same page. Not that there's anything wrong if you were –"

"You're spiraling, Sarada."

"Yep."

"I wanted you to know that Boruto is special to me."

"Yes." A sinking feeling in her stomach, Sarada replied bitterly. "To my father as well."

_**To everybody it seems. **_

Mitsuki chuckled. "No, your dad is probably doing this to return the favor to Lord Seventh."

Sarada didn't let herself believe his words just yet. Ignoring her hopeful heartbeat, she asked casually "What do you mean?"

"The Hokage kept you safe in the village all those years Uchiha Sasuke was gone. It's no surprise he'll reach out and take the opportunity to help keep the Seventh's son safe outside of the village now that he can. Your father doesn't seem like the type that likes owing anyone anything."

Sarada mulled it over in her mind, eventually her frozen state released and the tension from her shoulders eased. She smiled genuinely at Mitsuki.

"Thank you Mitsuki."

"For what?" he tilted his head, politely asking.

"For saving me; I came close to resenting a friend."

The rest of their time past as it usually did, and soon enough the time arrived to return to the village. They bid Nina-San goodbye formally, and watched in amusement as Konohamaru -Sensei attempted to flirt with her to better her report of his team and failed spectacularly.


	3. Chapter 3

Sarada sighs when they've finally gotten back to the village, her shoulders tense from carrying the backpack for so long. It's getting late, and Konohamaru - sensei says "I'll go submit the report – good job you two! Go rest."

When he leaves, they look at each other, standing side by side, shoulder by shoulder.

"…" Sarada nods at him.

Mitsuki seems to take a moment, then nods back, smiling politely.

An unspoken understanding is set between the two; Sarada can rely on him during their missions together for the next two weeks, and after that he'll go do what he needs.

Sarada did not attempt to break the silence between them; what minimal amount of trust and understanding she needs from Mitsuki for the time being, she has, and she has no interest to bring up any conversation further.

Mitsuki, too, seems settled.

"Finally you're back!" Boruto jumps between the two, a hand on each of their shoulders. "Did something _awesome_ happen?!"

"No. But something funny did." Sarada tells him, knowing he'd want to know.

"What what what?!" Boruto demands.

" Konohamaru -Sensei got rejected by the border-kunoichi in charge of us during the mission."

"Oh maaan! I missed it!" Boruto grumbles.

"Don't worry Boruto, I'm sure he'll be rejected again soon, and you can see it." Mitsuki says politely.

Sarada grins in amusement.

"You promise Mitsuki?!" Boruto demands. "Because if I miss one more thing I'm going to lose my mind!"

"I wasn't aware that you had one." Sarada teases him.

Boruto huffs at her, but otherwise ignores her.

"Listen, _listen_, LISTEN!" Boruto jumps on the spot, clearly just now remembering something big.

Mitsuki grins almost fondly, which pisses Sarada off; how can he enjoy that siren-like noise setting off in his ear? She almost feels like the weird one out of the three members of team 7.

"We're listening you idiot so just talk!"

Boruto's eyebrow twitches. "Oi! You've been real rude to me lately! What's your deal?!"

Sarada rolls her eyes. "We're tired; we just finished a week long mission."

"What's wrong princess, the life of a shinobi too rough for you?" Boruto smirks, crossing his arms almost accusingly.

Sarada can feel her eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

"You two are cute." Mitsuki says with a fake snicker; this time Sarada is _positive_ he knows what he's doing – pissing them off.

When he gets twin glares from both herself and Boruto, he doesn't even blink.

"So what did you have to tell us Boruto? I too am tired, actually."

Boruto drops his glare easily going back to a casually cheerful energy; something Sarada knows she can never pull off.

"So this old man that I know –"

"Already suspicious." Sarada cuts him off sharply. "If it's illegal, I don't want to know."

"I do." Mitsuki says, raising his hand.

"What's suspicious about knowing an old man?!" Boruto calls, indignant. "Anyway – you guys met him, remember? Katasuke-Sasn, he works at the Techno-Nin center – "

"The Scientific Ninja Tools Research Facility?" Sarada corrects dryly.

"Yes that, and –"

"The one who roped you into cheating at the Chunin Exam?" Sarada cuts him off again.

"Alright, yes, maybe –"

"The one who lost dangerous technology to enemy shinobi who almost got away from the village and sold it to Kara only three months ago?" Mitsuki inquires, at attention as soon as techno-nin was mentioned.

Sarada remembers the story Boruto and Shikadai told them, whilst she was with the Hyuga clan members helping with the genjutsu problem.

"Well okay, so that did happen, but –"

"The reason we nearly died when we faced old man Ao six weeks ago?"

"…Why am I being attacked?" Boruto asks sadly, standing between them looking small.

"I was right; this story is going to be suspicious." Sarada concludes.

"Would you two just listen, _Dattebasa_!" Boruto begs. "So two weeks ago, Big-Sister-Hanabi's team had a mission to help test some of the developed techno -nin devices –"

"Oh, we did that one too – how many are they developing?" Sarada notes, thinking back on the uncomfortable experience.

"Seems dicey." Mitsuki agrees.

Boruto shrugs them both off. "Who cares? Point is, when they were there, Class pres remembered how much she loved going to missions with her squad – and agreed with her boss, Inuzuka-San, to return in a few years for her apprenticeship because she wants to be a Genin like us again!" Boruto says quickly in one, overexcited breath, like he's afraid they'll interrupt him again. "_**And she is**_! She kept it quiet but on the day you guys left for your mission she joined one too officially and told everybody about the change – I've been waiting FOREVER to share this with you!"

Sarada and Mitsuki glance at each other.

"Well, aren't you amazed? You're welcome, you know!" Boruto says smugly, happy he got to deliver his bit of juicy gossip.

Mitsuki gives Sarada the slightest of shrugs, uncaring.

Sarada sighs; for all that he follows Boruto around, Mitsuki never shies from bruising his feelings – whatever it is for Mitsuki with Boruto, he doesn't want to protect Boruto in any way, in fact it's more like he tries to put Boruto in the center of complicated situations so he'll be able to observe him.

A bit guilty, Sarada tells Boruto truthfully "The day before our mission after you left we saw Class pres. Sumire told us she was going on a mission. We knew."

Boruto looks soul-crushed, but Sarada knows he'll get over it quickly. First, he'll be loud. "No! You can't say that Sarada! But – but – but did she tell you about the whole thing – with her team reminding her – and her quitting the apprenticeship?"

"No, we figured though."

"How can you do this to me?!" Boruto whines, laying down in the middle of the street and kicking his feet in the air in overdramatic show of frustration.

"…You are a child."

He ignores her. "I wanted to show you that I'm cool too! At least you're mission sucked and was boring – so I guess I can forgive you since _I didn't miss anything that mattered_ – your lame mission was probably WAY lamer then my time stuck here by myself!"

Sarada, growing annoyed, is wondering if he's even still talking to them or to himself.

"Well, I'm leaving. I'll see you tomorrow Boruto." Mitsuki says and jumps off.

Sarada looks from where Mitsuki disappeared from sight, down to the infant on the ground still wailing.

"Hey, Boruto." She gestures for him with her hand to come closer in a serious tone.

At once, Boruto stops goofing about and gets to a sitting position, looking at her. "What?"

"I have something good to tell you." She tells him, knowing exactly how curious it'll make him.

Boruto jumps to his feet and bounces next to her. "What? What?"

"We patrolled for five days. How do you think Mitsuki and I passed the time?"

"I dunno?"

"We played cards." Sarada tells him from the short distance they're standing.

Boruto's jaw falls to the floor. "No." he whispers, eyes wide. "Which -?"

"All of them – Buta no Shippo, Karuta, Menko*. Mitsuki knew them all."

"You're lying."

"He was good at them. He won more than half of the games."

Boruto gapes, little bubbles forming at the corners of his mouth.

"And the cherry on top – they were his cards."

Boruto lets out a small dying sound. "No."

"On the way back here he said we overplayed them and that he won't play anymore for the next year."

"Oh no _please_ -!" Boruto begs, tears starting in his hunted eyes.

"So I talked him into selling them all to Konohamaru -Sensei." Sarada says almost gently.

Boruto looks absolutely appalled.

"So you Boruto," she looks in his eyes evenly, leaning even closer to his face. "Forever missed it."

He's a frozen statue.

Content; she takes a step back and leaves.

She walks several minutes before she hears him bellow with all his lungs "YOU SON OF A BITCH, UCHIHA!"

Sarada smirks.

_**That'll teach that idiot to look down on my missions.**_

"What was that about?" says a quiet voice from her right.

"Papa." She greets, looking up at him. He starts walking alongside her, and they both head home.

Sarada's heartbeat quickens; this is the first time in her life that she's walking home with her father.

"Nothing. He got on my nerves." she admits.

"Mm." They walk comfortably in silence for a while before he speaks again. "We need to talk. As I will be staying in the village for the time being, this is a good opportunity."

Sarada regards him, but there's no use to it; she can't tell either way what it is about.

"Talk?"

"Certain… Clan responsibilities." Sarada knows the last word is spoken until it is time for whatever he has planned.

Clan. Her clan. Their clan.

She feels the clan's sigil on her back like never before. He is her father. He is hers.

Boruto has no place here.

_**Finally.**_

Sarada ignores the guilt that immediately rises up with that last thought.

"I'm ready." It's useless; she knows he won't say anymore outside, walking next to people who may overhear. They walk the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

Sarada sits down on the table across from her parents, in their kitchen.

She should've suspected something when she saw her mother home so early in the day.

"A darkness of emotions?"

"It's called the Uchiha Curse." Sasuke tells her, expression unchanged. "You are a shinobi now, and the world is far from perfect, only idiots will think that. It is not unreasonable that something with enough impact will cause you to activate it."

"She's only half Uchiha Honey; you could just be scaring her for no reason!" Sakura frowns. "She's always been calm as a kid; I really think this is one thing she didn't get from you."

Sarada gets an image in her head of her father as a young boy wild and loud. If she is to understand her mother's statement, that's how he used to be… Sarada is sure she's missing vital details on this.

Her father closes his eyes for a moment in thought. "If it does happen, she needs to be warned."

Sarada sighs. Both of her parents are masters of speaking a lot, yet cryptically so it's not understandable at all.

"Look, Papa, if you want to warn me, you need to explain what this curse actually is." She tells him. "Darkness of emotions is too vague."

"…"

Her father considers her and she knows there's a good chance she isn't going to get an answer. This can end up being a very uninformative conversation, Sarada realizes sadly.

"…Too powerful."

"What?" Sarada asks, barely hearing him.

"Too many emotions. Your mind will feel like it's about to explode." Sasuke's eyes become hooded. "And then it switches off, all at once, and you become clear-headed, dangerous, unbalanced." He says ominously.

The sigil on Sarada's back burns like fire. It calls out to her in her mind;

_**We gave you the eyes, our payment will be your mind. One day, we will collect.**_

"…How?" she asks roughly. "When?"

"When it's too much." Her father says, and doesn't elaborate further.

"What do I do if…"

Her mother answers her. "The first half is to be aware of it Sarada. The second half is to fight it."

Sarada considers those words when her father says "No, the second half is to fight despite of it." and with that he gets up and leaves the room, adding a quiet "Goodnight."

* * *

A\N: the bit with the cards was of course inspired by _**Brooklyn 99**_ scene when Holt tells Jake about Hula Hooping and then deletes the only proof which was absolutely hilarious - Shout out to my favorite ongoing show!

*Also the names of the games – I just Googled old Japanese traditional card games – tell me if I got it wrong!

I also want to address a guest who left an unkind review which I deleted - please don't judge the story so harshly yet - it's only just stared and remember - this is only _Sarada's POV_ after all. of course if you don't want to keep reading that's your right - but I hope you will. Thank you for those of you who are sticking around for this fic I love you all! :)


	4. Chapter 4

For the next two weeks, Team 7 has accomplished 5 more missions without Boruto.

During them, Mitsuki doesn't offer any topics of conversation, by nature not one to mind silences nor one to break them. Sarada doesn't mind, not a chatterer herself, rather inclined to keep conversation to when it's needed, and when she needs to tell Mitsuki something, she'll break the silence herself.

They work well, stealthy, and swiftly, without any problems together, and it is rather peaceful to be able to do their jobs well. Sarada knows Boruto is the one who constantly evokes the both of them to talk whenever they sink into their own heads too long. She doesn't think she'll miss it, and she hasn't so far, but she did think it would be too awkward with Mitsuki – surprisingly, it's not – he's very intuitive and they've gotten closer than ever before as teammates, despite both being shinobi of few, and select, words.

There is one thing that they are both terrible at – when times come for one of Boruto's crazy ideas that are actually brilliant, they both come up short, which is when Konohamaru-Sensei steps up and resolves the situation.

"What do you think is going on?"

They just returned to the village and are walking through the gates.

Konohamaru-Sensei glances at Mitsuki; he doesn't usually speak first. "What do you mean?"

"Something happened." Mitsuki explains, his sharp yellow eyes looking at the people around them buzzing about.

Sarada looks carefully; everything seems casual, but there's a feeling of unrest in the air. "It feels a bit… nervous."

Konohamaru-Sensei nods, his expression serious. He pauses to stop a passing Chunin.

"Hey there, did something happen?"

"You guys just came back from a mission?" The Chunin asks, looking at them. "Yeah people are just loud, nothing serious."

"What is it?" Konohamaru asks.

"Someone set fire to the Hokage's office –"

"_What?!_" Konohamaru-Sensei freaks out, and without another word he rushes off.

All three watch as he disappears from sight, frantically.

The Chunin shrugs at Sarada and Mitsuki. "It was a few days ago, it's fine now. Nobody got hurt." He says apologetically for causing Konohamaru-Sensei an unwarranted burst of panic.

"Oh. Was something stolen?" Sarada asks, curious.

"Nobody thinks so, but no one was caught for it. Eventually, people are just wondering how something like that could've happened. I mean, it's the Hokage's office, you know?"

Mitsuki nods, and Sarada and he walk on, leaving the stranger behind.

"Peculiar." Is the only thing Sarada says.

"Mm." Mitsuki agrees.

"Well, let's go hand in our report, Mitsuki." Sarada shrugs. Her teammate nods and they head out to where Konohamaru-Sensei rushed off to, in a calmer pace. "The party is tonight?"

"Mm." Mitsuki nods.

Sarada yawns. "Maybe we should catch a few hours of sleep before it starts. Are you going?" She asks him.

"Yes."

He doesn't expand, and Sarada doesn't need him to; Boruto will be there, that's all the reason Mitsuki needs.

Mitsuki's only subject of interest is Boruto, which means that for two weeks that's all he was willing to talk with Sarada about unless it pertained to their missions.

It's been a long two weeks.

When they handed the report there was still a lot of chaos in the Missions Office. They were handed their next mission and rushed out of the building, already full to the brim with busy shinobi.

"It's tomorrow morning, should be done in a day or two." Sarada reads, telling Mitsuki. They haven't seen Konohamaru-Sensei inside.

"We'll be back before Boruto departs." Mitsuki says unnecessarily.

Sarada ignores the anger trying to rise in her. "Yeah. We'll, I'm going home. See you tonight."

Mitsuki half waves and they separate.

Sarada walks calmly towards her house, trying to ease her ire.

_**Boruto this, Boruto that, Boruto whatever. **_

_**He's my friend too, but does everything have to revolve around him?!**_

Someone she recognizes pops on her radar across the street.

"Namida." Sarada greets, hoping for a distraction. "How are you?"

The girl with the two pony tails has bags in both arms. "Hey Sarada-Chan! Just helping Shikadai-Kun organize Boruto's party tonight."

_**Of course. **_

* * *

Sarada walks into the house, catching Temari-San's eye across the room. She bows politely as she stands in the doorway.

"Oh hey Sarada, come on in!" Shikadai waves her into his house.

Temari-San nods slightly in acknowledgment of Sarada and turns to her son.

"You know the rules, Shikadai. Your father and I will leave now. Don't upset the neighbors."

"Alright." Shikadai agrees easily, and his mom takes a leave.

"The place looks good." Sarada comments, head still pounding from the fall she had this morning on their mission. A nap didn't help much.

"Mm. Namida and Metal helped, thank god." Shikadai says, picking disks for the music player.

Sarada scoffs. "Of course you'd ask the two nicest can't-say-no of the group. You have no shame."

"Well, planning a party is a lot of work." Shikadai frowns at her. Then he suddenly smiles slyly. "But also, yeah, they're too nice and I'm too lazy."

"Yo, Sarada-chan!" Metal runs by, carrying a few bags of snacks.

"Hello Metal."

"Where do these go, Shikadai-kun?"

"Just put them on the kitchen counter, we'll use them if we run out of snacks." Shikadai tells him, still picking an assortment of disks.

"Alright-o! Let's go, let's go! Nothing like a noble goodbye for a Nakama to bring grandeur to our springtime of youth!" Metal says, eyes shining, and runs off to carry the bags to the kitchen.

"You're shameless." Sarada comments.

Shikadai shrugs. "I am what I am."

"I'm surprised to hear Metal use words like 'grandeur'." Sarada says, checking out the labels on the CDs.

"Now who's shameless?"

Sarada throws him a glare, as he snickers.

"Rogue Red Clouds? Haven't heard that one." Sarada says, turning over the CD in her hands.

"Mm. Some guitarist, who went solo, wrote a whole bunch of songs about his dad's hang ups who used to be a minor member of Akatsuki."

"Really?" Sarada asks, looking at the CD more carefully.

"Yeah, nothing interesting, just a bunch of PTSD – it's really sad. Turns out some of the higher ranking members used to be creepy looking."

Disappointed, Sarada puts it away. "According to Might Guy one of them was a shark whose name was impossible to remember."

Shikadai rolls his eyes. "According to Might Guy _he_ carried _his wheelchair_ all across the land of fire country from one side to the other in less than a day."

Sarada smirks. "Maybe he did. Probably Metal went with him."

Shikadai snorts.

"Oi! Is the party starting or not?!" comes a bark from the front door.

"Hello, place looks cool." Says another boy, more politely.

"Iwabee, Denki, welcome." Shikadai nods. "We're waiting for people to start coming in."

"Nice." Iwabee marches in, straight for the snacks.

Denki wonders over to Sarada and Shikadai, some sort of technological device Sarada can't identify under his arm.

"Been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, heard your dad's company is doing well." Shikadai comments, picking the last of the CDs and placing the pile he chose on top of the player, putting the first one in.

The beat starts playing.

"I think so? I mean, I don't know much about that, I just like to fiddle with the technology." Denki laughs shyly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"I heard you're developing Data Recorders for the Techno-Nin facility." Sarada says, leaning back against the wall.

Denki suddenly looks much more excited. "Yeah! If anyone uses them now, it's able to report back when and how. I guess all the mess with – er –" he looks unsure and lowers his voice "_Kara_ – sort of got them to realize the tech was dangerous if left unsupervised. They've asked for a few other things too, we're trying to figure out how to make them together."

"Guys, are we early?" a cheerful voice calls out.

"Inojin, did you bring the CDs I asked for?" Shikadai asks, waving him over.

"Yep, dragged Chubbers on the way too." He calls, smiling, dragging Cho-Cho with him.

Behind them Sumire and Wasabi come in, waving.

"We met these two on the way." Wasabi calls sharply. "Boruto here yet?"

"Not yet. Come on in." Shikadai calls across the room.

"Oi, Wasabi!" Iwabee calls, holding a plate of food. "Can you live on cat food when you transform?"

"Can a person live on cat food in a regular situation?" Cho-Cho wonders, picking up a plate herself.

Iwabee agrees loudly. "I wonder!"

"I'm gonna feed both of you cat food, and we'll see if you survive, how 'bout that?!" Wasabi yells, Sumire trying to calm her.

Inojin comes over to Shikadai, chuckling. "Sure is lively. Here you go."

"Thanks." Shikadai tells him and switches it with the one inside.

"How have you two been?" Inojin asks, grinning.

"Alright." Denki smiles.

"Same." Sarada nods at him.

"It's flu season." Inojin comments.

"Yeah. It is." Sarada agrees, face impassive.

Shikadai and Denki share a confused look at the turn in the conversation.

"Whatever, I'll go see if there are enough drinks." Shikadai says clapping his hands together.

Sarada does her best not to roll her eyes.

"Oh!" Denki jumps at once, cheeks reddening. "it's alright let me help too!"

"Well, if you want. You don't have to –"

"It's fine, you're hosting, after all!" Denki goes off quickly.

"Shameless." Sarada says dryly.

Inojin laughs. "Well he is what he is Sarada."

"So I've heard."

"YO! Nara! I can't believe you've dragged me over here just to return a stupid pen I borrowed from –!"

"Here we go." Shikadai calls.

Boruto pauses at the entrance, blinking at all the faces inside, and Sarada notices Mitsuki standing behind him.

"SURPRISE!"

For a moment Boruto blinks at them, then his eyes widened and he smiles such a huge smile it nearly covers half his face.

"SHUT UP!" he yells. "You guys are the best!" he jumps inside, grinning at everyone. "Iwabee isn't there a game tonight?"

"Yeah, be thankful I'm here – the semi-finals are happening right now!" Iwabee smirks.

"I am! Hey even Class Pres is here!"

"Hey." Sumire grins. "Sorry for teasing you earlier, Shikadai wanted it to be a surprise."

"It was! It really was! Hey Cho-Cho – you're here for the snacks, aren't you?"

Everyone laughs, as Cho-Cho rolls her eyes.

"You think I don't have my own snacks?!" she demands.

"_Really?! _I'm touched~!"

"Hey Mitsuki, you came with him?" Shikadai calls, noticing the boy at the entrance as well.

"Yes." Mitsuki grins, gliding into the room.

"Mitsuki knew? What, he didn't say anything!" Boruto sends Mitsuki a playful glare.

"Good." Shikadai nods. "Well, now that you're here, let's get the party going."

Boruto smirks, and then blinks when his eyes move from Shikadai to Sarada.

"Eh, Sarada's here too?!" he asks, surprised.

Sarada tilts her head. "Of course; Mitsuki and I came back to the village this afternoon."

"Oh. Right! Thanks!" Boruto says smoothly, cheerful.

Sarada feels a blood vessel pop in her head.

_**What is his problem?**_

There are loud cheers, Boruto at the center of it. Music and smells of food and drinks are in the air. People shuffling around… slowly, they are all becoming unrecognizable lumps.

"_Sarada!_"

The familiar voice snaps her into attention.

"…What?"

Boruto stands right in front of her. "You spaced out."

Sarada doesn't space out. They both know that.

"You alright?"

"Yes, just tired." She admits. "Sorry."

Boruto shrugs. "S'fine. Mitsuki said you hit your head today, maybe go check it out, yeah?"

"I'm fine."

"Right." He says, unimpressed. "Do I have to annoy you into going?"

"How? Are you going to fall on the floor again like a child and kick about?"

"Sure." Boruto says easily. "Although that plan worked way too well last time." He half-glares at her. "Mitsuki wouldn't go near cards when I tried playing with him today – damn it I'm so curious! Does he smile when he wins?"

"No."

"Does he cry when he loses?"

"No."

"Damn." Boruto shakes his head. "That's so like him."

Sarada's glasses are slipping down her nose.

Damn. Maybe she has a concussion.

"I'm gonna call it a night." Sarada sighs, placing a cup of juice someone handed her on the table.

She's heading towards the door when Boruto calls her back.

"Hey thanks for coming." He says almost shyly.

_**I'm not your dad, of course I showed up.**_

She doesn't say it, but she almost does. That alone tells her something's wrong with her head.

He annoys her, but he's still her friend; she wouldn't hurt him like that.

"Sure. Night."

* * *

On the way home Sarada stops at a small clinic, hoping her mom wouldn't work a shift there tonight. She gets a check up, that confirms she has a small concussion, and that she needs some sleep (more than a nap could provide).

She comes home, expecting it to be empty.

"Okaeri. You're back."

Sarada pauses while taking off her shoes.

Is she a bad ninja, or is her dad impossible to detect even when he's not trying? Maybe it's the concussion. Sarada would like to think it's the concussion.

"…I'm back." she announces late. "Tadaima."

"Your mission?"

"Completed." She says, walking inside the house. Her dad is sitting on the dining table drinking tea. There is a small backpack near the door. Her dad's all ready to leave the day after tomorrow, of course.

For a moment Sarada wonders what to do next.

"If you would like to eat, I'll keep you company." Her dad offers.

Sarada's heart quickens; they could spend some time together.

_**I want to.**_

Sarada falls into the couch in front of the TV, closing her eyes. The kitchen and living room aren't separated, and the couch isn't far from where her dad's sitting, watching her.

"Alright?" he asks after a long moment.

Sarada opens her eyes.

_**He can't think you're weak.**_

"Just tired. I had some snacks with friends."

Her dad drinks his tea. Sarada stares at the dark TV screen. She can turn it on, just to have something to fiddle with through the silence, but her head hurts just at the thought of the bright noisy images and she disregards it.

She lets her eyes close for a while, before remembering to open them again as her dad drinks calmly, a constant soft noise in the background.

She needs sleep, before tomorrow's mission, but she'll sit with him for a while longer.

_**Not like I'll get to again anytime in the future.**_

"What I said last time,"

Sarada's head turns a little in the direction of her dad's voice.

"will only happen under… a very bad stress. Don't let your mind linger on it too much."

_**Stress. It sounded more like a psychotic episode.**_

Stupid concussion.

"Okay Papa."

"But if it does happen, it's not an excuse."

There's a warning in his voice. It is subtle, but there.

"….Okay Papa."

A long minute passes between them, when neither says a word.

Surprisingly, her dad breaks it first again. Unable to ignore her pounding headache, Sarada doesn't manage to question why too much.

"When is Sakura coming back?"

"It's flu season." Sarada answers. When he father stares at her, she expands. "Overstaffed. She'll be at the hospital for the next couple of weeks, overworking."

Like every year, Aunt Ino probably took time off from the Intelligence Unit to go help out as a medic-nin until flu season is over, which means Inojin isn't likely to be seeing his mom for a while either.

"…This seems like a bad time to leave."

"It's fine." Sarada tells him. _**I'm used to being alone.**_ "Don't worry about it."

Her dad pours himself another cup of tea. The steam is almost reflected in his dark eyes.

Sarada feels her eyes close again.

"If anything happens with your eyes and I'm not here, ask Naruto."

"Seventh?" Sarada asks, wondering why not mom.

"He'll have to do until I'm back again." Her dad says and Sarada feels there is an insult on Lord Seventh's expense her father isn't saying out loud.

"Sarada."

Sarada looks at him, squinting. How many times has he broken the silence himself tonight? How strange."Yes?" she asks carefully.

"Go to sleep."

She sighs and peels herself off the couch. "Good night." She says politely.

"Mm." he acknowledges it, as she leaves and walks down the hall to her room.

If she thinks she saw an amused grin on her dad's face as she walked past him, she'll have to go to the hospital and demand a more thorough check up, because clearly she is outright hallucinating.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: the world and characters belong to Kishimoto**_

* * *

"Well, I hope to see you one day again Sarada." Mitsuki smiles at her emptily, as they return to the village after their latest mission has finished.

Sarada blinks.

She has just asked him if he wanted to drop off their report.

Mitsuki's yellow sharp eyes are watching her as though through a curtain.

"You're leaving."

"Yes."

"…That's it. Just like that."

"Yes." He shrugs noncommittally, his pale blue clothes rustling as he does. "I need to be ready to leave tomorrow morning with Boruto." He waves and walks away.

Sarada watches him.

"Do I – do I not get a goodbye?" Konohamaru -Sensei asks sadly, looking after Mitsuki as well.

_**Pretend it doesn't bother you, and it'll go away.**_

Sarada swallows and turns to Konohamaru-Sensei. "Will you train me? How will we still do missions now without two members? Will we get new members? Can I learn how to summon monkeys?"

Konohamaru-Sensei looks at Sarada alarmingly, his blue eyes serious and alert. "Wow, hey Kora! Wait a sec – let's talk about this – is Mitsuki really planning to leave?"

Sarada looks back at him blankly.

"Sarada is Mitsuki leaving after Boruto?!"

"…Do you know, Konohamaru-Sensei, that you have three students, not two?" Sarada asks, and she doesn't care that her voice drops into a coldness she usually holds back.

Konohamaru-Sensei's eyes widen, like everyone's do when they hear her speak like that. They all seem to convey with their eyes _'Uchiha'_.

"Hey – c'mon I didn't mean to offend you Sarada – the boys are just a bit of trouble and –" he raises his hands defensively, his green flak jacket rustling with the movement.

He tries to sound concerned, but it's too late – Sarada saw the apprehension in his eyes.

"Then should I cause some trouble?" She asks him, and realizes she means it.

Her teacher considers her. "I'm sorry Sasuke-San is leaving tomorrow, I'm sure it's not easy, and that it seems unfair. But the world of shinobi is often unfair. I'll do what I can for you, I promise you that, but right now Mitsuki needs me, and I don't plan on letting him down." Konohamaru-Sensei sighs. "Just like I'd never let you down. Because yeah, I have three students. And they're all annoying as hell." Konohamaru-Sensei mutters the last bit, but Sarada still hears him.

"I need to go, don't worry about the report, I'll hand this one in." Konohamaru-Sensei waits patiently until she gives him a response.

Sarada is stoic for a few moments, and she considers lashing out – but lashing out has never been her style.

She shrugs uncaringly, pushing her glasses up.

Konohamaru-Sensei nods at her. "Meet me here tomorrow at noon, alright? We'll figure out the answers to all your questions then, how does that sound?" He asks kindly, turns around, and rushes out of sight, his long cerulean scarf flying wildly behind him as he does.

* * *

The next morning starts with a knock on the door.

Sarada's eyes open. "Mmm?"

It's all bright and blurry. She sighs. It's morning. She gets up in bed, and reaches for her glasses.

"Sarada."

"Yes?" She coughs, trying to clear her throat from the grogginess of just waking up. She hops off the bed and slides open the bedroom door.

Her father is clad in his travelling black cloak, black eyes sharp.

"Good morning."

"How's your head?"

_**How did he know?**_

She didn't feel nauseated when she got up, like she did yesterday, so she's confident the concussion passed.

"It's okay."

"Injuries during missions are a normal thing." He said emotionlessly. "I'm leaving."

For a heartbeat Sarada looks at him.

"Okay."

He gives her a calculating stare, then nods and turns. He heads down the hallway to the living room.

He glances back, when Sarada follows him, wearing her pajamas.

He grabs his bag from the corner. "It's time."

"Okay. Will you come back?"

"Not anytime soon."

"Okay."

Sasuke gestures her to come closer.

She approaches him, and he raises his hand. He pokes her on the forehead.

_**It's just a silly gesture, why am I blushing?**_

"Take care of your mother for me."

Sarada feels the weight of trust and responsibility on her shoulders. She stands taller.

"Okay."

Her father goes to the front door.

"Itte kimasu…I'm leaving for now."

"Itte rashai. Go and come back."

The front door closes.

She can barely hear the sound of his black sandals against the concrete.

A few minutes pass, and Sarada knows she's alone again.

She stares at the door for a moment, then shakes herself and heads to her room to change for the day.

She's eating breakfast in silence, when there's a cheerful yell from outside.

"Hey Sarada! Wanna hang out?"

It's not flu season without Inojin popping by for company.

She opens the door.

"I'm eating. Hungry?" she offers.

"I ate at home, thanks." He pops a bubble with his gum, his pale blond hair tied up in a ponytail as usual, and in his ears two stud earrings.

She goes back to the table, and Inojin follows her, popping bubbles with chewing gum.

"The flower shop?"

"Part-timers. Your dad?"

"Left." Sarada replies shortly and picks up an egg with her chopsticks.

They chat for a while.

"We have a lot of training this week with Chubbers' dad, so I guess I'll keep busy."

"I have to stop by Ten-Ten-San's shop this morning."

"Cool, I'll come with; she always has interesting things on display. I'll probably have to leave afterwards."

Sarada nods, taking a bite of her food. "On yesterday's mission we saw a snake in nature eating a giant rat."

Inojin's grin sharpens a bit at the edges, his pale eyes interested. "What's it look like? What kind of snake?"

_**Ask Mitsuki.**_

_**Oh, right. He left too.**_

"It was one swallow. The Snake had a rat shaped bulge in the middle of him."

"Gnarly!" Inojin sniggers.

"Come on, I'm done." Sarada puts away her dishes, and the two childhood friends take off.

At Ten-Ten's Utility Weapons Store, Sarada picks up her special order, and Inojin chats to Miss Ten-Ten about sword designs.

"No no no!" Ten-Ten shakes her head passionately, her two brunette hair buns spring with the motion. "A sharp edge is all you need – shape is secondary."

"Ehh? But shape is important – it's all about the right balance and dexterity." Inojin argues, leaning backwards on his heels.

"Weapons are not decorations, they're weapons!"

Inojin doesn't seem impressed. "Tell that to your store."

Ten-Ten blushes. "Well, it's a time of peace so times are hard right now for this shop – anyways are _you going to buy something?_"

Later, Sarada and Inojin walk over to the hamburger restaurant for a milkshake, where they meet Namida and Sumire.

They sit with them, chatting about their latest missions.

"I threw the kunai just as Sumire-Chan performed her water release, water bullets! It was like we read each other's minds!" Namida calls, soft brown eyes shining.

"Mm." Sumire looks pleased as well, tugging a bit on her long braided ponytail. "We're really starting to balance as a team I guess."

Sarada tries not to wallow in the fact that she doesn't have a team anymore. She tries. She fails.

Sarada glances at her watch.

"Oh, I need to go." She announces, and makes sure her forehead protector is tied up well, so it doesn't unravel inconveniently.

"Now?" Inojin asks, in the middle of an argument with Sumire about whether swords or long kunai blades are better.

"Yeah, I have a meeting with Konohamaru-Sensei." Sarada says. "See you guys."

"Bye Sarada-Chan!" Namida waves cheerfully, the orange forehead protector around her neck gleaming in the sunlight from the window.

"See you later, Uchiha!" Inojin nods as Sumire smiles, her purple eyes kind.

Sarada heads out quickly, hoping to catch Boruto before he heads out of the village.

* * *

"_Hey Boruto, are you listening?!_"

Boruto looks at her and Sarada knows he hasn't even noted her presence until now.

She grumbles, blowing a lock of short black hair upwards from her forehead. "What, are you angry at me or something? I'm trying to say goodbye you know."

"Ah, no, sorry, sorry! It's just that… I can't forget what happened with Himawari…" he says, looking down, tugging on the stripes of his backpack.

"Your sister?" Sarada asks, concerned. Boruto rarely shows it if he's feeling down, and now it's written all over his person.

"Yeah, she didn't take me leaving very well… I dunno, I'm kinda worried."

"Sorry to hear that… but she's the Seventh's daughter, she'll be safe." Sarada says to reassure him.

Boruto snorts, but it's humorless. "That's what everyone thinks. Well I'm his son, am I leaving my home because I'm just so safe?"

Sarada doesn't answer. He isn't wrong.

"I think she's gonna be lonely." Boruto sighs, looking tired.

"Well… I was going to get you a cool knife or something, as your going-away present. Instead, how about I'll promise to look out after your sister while you're gone?"

Boruto cheers up at once, eyes shining. "Really?! Thank you Sarada! I owe you! She really adores you, you know, for some reason – I have no clue why -"

"Hey I'm trying to help you out here you know~!" Sarada calls dryly.

"Hahaha sorry, sorry, I was just joking around." Boruto giggles, his bright pink and black jacket rustling at the movement. "Really I appreciate it!"

"You better." Sarada notices the people waiting at the gate they're approaching. "I guess this is really farewell."

"Come on Sarada, why is everyone like that? I'm coming back, Dattebasa!"

Sarada grins, pushing up her glasses. "Alright, keep that promise."

Boruto's eyes shine as he's at once taken seriously and his words taken for full value. Sarada assumes everyone has been making the decisions lately and that started to get to her friend.

"I will! I'll make sure of it!"

"Mm. Well I won't stay." Sarada tells him, stopping her steps.

Boruto looks at her questioningly, blond hair tossing in the wind. "But your dad –"

"We've already said our goodbyes. _Catch_." Sarada tosses him the kunai.

He catches it, staring at it, his blue eyes widening. "I thought you said you wouldn't –"

"I already threw away the receipt, what can I say?" Sarada rolls her eyes at his smile.

Boruto looks at the knife carefully. It's a bit longer than a regular kunai, and it has three shorter spikes.

"Hey it looks like –"

"Yeah," She tells him. "you _are_ the Fourth's grandson, so it's somewhat close to his signature kunai. There's also a small Uzumaki symbol on the handle– if you press it a needle will shoot out from the bottom of the knife."

Boruto smiles and she sees it reaching his eyes. "Thanks."

"Good luck Boruto, try not to die."

"Shut up!" Boruto scoffs.

Sarada chuckles and offers him her hand.

He blushes, then grins and shakes it firmly. "You too Sarada, try not to die without me here to save you all the time -"

"Shut up, Shannaro!"

Boruto bursts out laughing in his usual light manner, their hands falling apart.

Sarada grins. "You're so loud Boruto; I think I'll actually miss that when it's gone."

And with that she turns around, waves and leaps away back into the heart of the village, leaving Boruto to go to the gate where The Seventh Hokage is waiting along with Sarada's father, whom she isn't going to be seeing again for a long long time.

* * *

Two hours later Sarada leans off the stone wall she's been waiting on for the past half hour.

_**Well.**_

She starts walking without a destination, ignoring the ringing in her head.

_'Meet me here tomorrow at noon, alright? We'll figure out the answers to all your questions then, how does that sound?'_

"You liar, Konohamaru-Sensei." Sarada grumbles, trying not to let it bother her. "Whatever, I'll just train myself."

A group of younger boys are walking across from her, chatting excitedly. She remembers being that age – back at the academy.

She used to be alone then too.

"- I can't believe we found that place!"

"It felt like no one's been there for _years_! Let's buy some paint and graffiti our names there!" The smallest one suggests, eyes shining.

They're all buzzing and chatting happily, passing by Sarada without a glance.

She's about to turn the corner when she hears:

"Hey! Onee-San!"

Sarada slightly turns to the side to glance at them. They're well behind her now, staring at her.

"What?" She asks, her voice as chilly as her mood.

The smallest boy swallows, visibly nervous.

"Are you – erm –"

One of the other boys elbows him, clearly telling him to drop it, watching Sarada's Shinobi Headband on her forehead.

"Well, the symbol on your back – "

_Are you an Uchiha?_

Sarada is not in the mood for this conversation.

" – We saw it on a giant wall!" the boy says instead, clearly clueless and curious.

Sarada blinks.

"What does it mean?"

"…Did they not teach you at the academy?"

They all shake their heads, looking amongst themselves, to see if anyone knows it.

For some reason, it doesn't shock Sarada that they aren't the type that listens at class. Or maybe it's something only the Ninja Academy teaches. They can be just regular kids.

Sarada walks over to them, ignoring how slightly nervous it makes them.

"Where? Show me."

* * *

Hey if you liked it plz leave a review, or fav and follow the story, you can follow me and any updates I have on my fics on my tumblr: SheRipper-fanficer the writer will appreciate your support a lot (as the writer I approve of this message)

See ya next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for your reviews - this one is for you! :)

* * *

There were houses, and houses, and more houses.

They were all empty, dusty, old, and unmaintained; long forgotten in history, too dirty and unethical to remember and teach the next generation.

Sarada walks through the abandoned streets, counting the number of houses she can see. Each house counts as at least one family. And they were all like her.

She finds a lake behind several very nice houses (for old homes) and she picks up small rocks and throws them into the blue lake.

The reflection of the sky wobbles when the stones hit the surface, trying to reach the other end of the lake.

She stays there for a while longer, wondering how she feels.

It's very morbid to be here, where clearly people used to live and now there's nothing even left. But on the other hand she feels comforted. It's her family history, and she likes this place.

She passes by a stone fence to one of the bigger households, and on it painted the Uchiha Clan crest.

_The fan symbolizes the fire burning stronger inside of Uchihas._

Her father once explained quietly, a long time ago.

She looks at it, raising her shoulders. The only one carrying it now, is her back. However, there was a time and place, where there were others.

Now, this place is on the outskirts, forgotten and abandoned by the village.

Maybe her dad visits.

Does he remember living here?

Does he remember life in this ghost place?

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Sarada whispers, glasses slipping down her nose and she doesn't bother pushing them back up. "You said I was the future, but I can't go further, if I don't know what's behind us."

With a mad desire to see her clan crest somewhere where the village will acknowledge it, she vows to always carry it, and to become Hokage one day – not just to prove herself, but to give life to this forgotten history. They'll carve her face up on the tallest, most important, mountain, and when they do she'll be wearing earrings with the Uchiha clan crest, and they'll hang right up there, and they won't be able to ignore it anymore.

That evening before returning home she makes another special order with Ten-Ten-San, and when she gets an estimated price she realizes she might only be able to afford one earring with her Genin salary.

Her wallet lighter than ever, she returns home to complain to her mother about the economy much to Sakura's confusion.

Her mother nods tiredly, pretending to understand, and falls asleep within five minutes of their meal onto her soup bowl, exhausted from working overtime because of Flu Season.

Sarada stares at her, as bubbles form from the snoring Sakure makes inside her soup.

Sarada sighs tiredly, helps her mom to bed, cleans up, and heads to bed for an early morning.

She dreams of empty spaces full of sounds of footsteps and chatter, and smells of food cooking, flowers, and a fire, growing bigger and bigger, and the sounds of hundreds of invisible people fanning it, breathing life to it.

Then they vanish, and the big fire becomes a tiny little flame.

_**It's going to die!**_

In a panic, Sarada runs as fast as she can, and grabs a fan. It's red and white. She fans hard, as hard as she can. But it's still dying.

All those people, and she's just going to let it die.

Ring Ring!

Her alarm clock rings off, and she's being pulled away from the little flame, desperate for air.

Than another fan swishes, as one real arm quickly sets the flame steady.

Ring Ring!

Sarada turns her head, at the tall man, clad in a long black cloak –

"You can't save it if you're not here!" Sarada yells, tears falling down her cheeks, as she sits up in her bed.

Ring Ring!

Sarada Uchiha turns off the alarm clock and numbly walks to the bathroom to brush her teeth, wondering how long it will be until she sees her father again this time around.

* * *

Sarada walks through the chilly fresh air of dawn, light on her feet and ready for a long day of hard training.

As she turns around, she hears footsteps, battle cries, and the swooshing sounds of kunais and shuriken being thrown.

It looks like someone beat her to it.

Curiously, she peeks through the trees – only to duck from a flying flurry of shuriken coming for her head.

"Who's there?!"

Sarada comes out of hiding, raising her brow at the purple hair girl.

"Oh, Sarada-chan. I'm sorry!"

"No, it's fine. Why are you training here?" Sarada walks up to her.

"Oh I found this place yesterday running patrol for the village, and thought it would be a good place to train. Is this where you usually train?" Sumire brushed her braid back, and straightened up from her fighting position.

"Well, somewhat." Sarada points at the monument stone, a ways up the hill. "It's sort of an Uchiha Clan spot."

Sumire blushes. "Oh – s-s-sorry!"

"…I said its fine. Do you want some company?"

It took thirty minutes for Sarada to realize that she only managed to keep up because Shuriken has been her specialty since the academy.

"You're good." Sarada admits, breathing hard.

Sumire rushes to deny it. "What?! Hahahah, no, I'm average – totally average!"

"No, you are. I don't know why you refuse to acknowledge it, but I barely kept up with you. You're good."

Sumire's usual fluster vanishes and she's hesitant. "I always wanted to try shuriken practice with you." She says shyly. "You looked like you'd keep up and some." She grins. "And you did."

_**So you knew you'd stand on equal footing? How long have you been leagues further than you let on?**_

Sarada suddenly realized Sumire is much more interesting than she appears to be.

"Sumire… How about we have breakfast, and we can try Taijutsu next?" Sarada smirks. "That is, if you think I could keep up."

Sumire grins, her purple eyes narrowing. "Well Metal could probably keep up better, but I'll give you a chance." She calls, despite knowing Sarada's question was rhetorical.

Sarada stretches, ready to go all out. "If I _'keep up'_ you're paying for food." The economy these days is outrageous, after all.

"Win one match, and we'll talk." Sumire replies, grinning sweetly.

"Hey hang on, where did the shy subconscious girl vanish to so quickly?" Sarada whistles.

"She's broke – Genin aren't paid much, you know." Sumire shrugs and Sarada remembers hearing something about the girl living all alone (probably hard to get by).

"Tell me about it."

* * *

"Unbelievable." Sarada announces, watching the very last of her money vanish. "I lost."

"You cheated."Sumire reminds her.

"I did no such thing." Sarada glares.

Sumire grins kindly, taking a smug bit of her meal. "Using ninjutsu during a purely taijutsu match is blatant cheating."

"My Kekki Genkai isn't a ninjutsu."

"You wouldn't have been allowed to use your sharingan during a taijutsu test in the academy, would you?"

"…"

"Right, like I said, you clearly cheated." Sumire hums as she slurps her cold drink.

"That wasn't bad, as far as morning training goes." Sarada admits.

Sumire grins. "Right. You don't shy from hard work, Sarada. Even if it's just training. We should do it again tomorrow – oh, only if you want, of course –"

"Sounds good."

Sumire grins. "That's great! Another free breakfast!"

Sarada rolls her eyes. "Oh how sweet, you're a dreamer."

Sumire chuckles and they eat, occasionally making mock-snide comments to each other.

"So your new skills, how do they fit with Team 15?" Sarada eventually asks, curious.

"My team knows, yes." Sumire says carefully. "My teammates are supportive, and they accepted me the way that I am, when they realized. It didn't take them very long, honestly." Sumire remembers, looking embarrassed.

Sarada debated whether to ask or not, but knew Sumire wasn't likely to give her a truthful answer. At least she's honest with her team.

"Ah, I guess sometimes I feel like Namida and Wasabi should be protected, so they can keep the more childish side of them." Sumire says, looking out the glass window contemplatively. "But once in a while their innocence makes it a bit hard… because I know being a shinobi is going to take that away from them too, sooner or later. It should've already, but we're in times of peace. Still, I'm not looking forward to being there to see it happen." Sumire grimaces.

"Mmh." Sarada nods, understanding – the same is true to a lot of their friends who they graduated the academy with.

"Sometimes I thought –" Sumire choughs and looks away.

"What?"

"It just seems like Mitsuki-kun has been in the same boat as me for a while."

Sarada blinks. "… I doubt it."

_**Mitsuki probably wanted to be there when it happened to Boruto – but he wasn't. And he didn't care enough when it happened to me, back at the academy when I went to find my father. **_

_**Unless that doesn't count.**_

"What do you consider innocence?" Sarada asks seriously.

Sumire looks troubled. "Sorry Sarada, but if you have to ask…"

"…Right."

Not long afterwards, they've finished eating and Sumire headed out to meet up with team 15 to head out to a mission.

Sarada's walking through the streets, wondering what to do with herself.

It sure feels like the village gave up on her, in a way.

Her teammates are both gone, and she hasn't heard anything about what she's supposed to be doing now.

She could always go off, find her own thing now that she's alone.

She could go to Fifth, or ask her mother to train her as an apprentice but she really doesn't want to be a medic-nin. She's grateful to the basic training her mother made sure she had, even beyond the academy's requirements, in the field. She knew her mother was worried that Sarada's life as a shinobi would be a dangerous one (like her own was) but Sarada knows that's not the road she wants to take.

Who else can she ask?

In a burst of wind Konohamaro appears before her.

"Sarada!" he calls, giving the impression that he's been solely focused on looking for her.

Sarada is unimpressed. "So glad you remember me after all. I've been worried for your memory, Sensei."

Konohamro-Sensei sighs. "Hey I've been tracking you all across the village, you know? Give me a break, Kora!" He pulls out a green scroll from his flak jacket. "You're summoned to a chat with Lord Seventh tomorrow, yeah? He'll go over what you'll be doing from now on." He hands it to her. "Make sure you're there; don't make me look bad Kora!"

Sarada scoffs.

_**I'm not the one who doesn't show up between us.**_

Konohamro-Sensei shivers. "Oi don't do that Sarada! You remind me of your dad back when he was scarier than he is now."

_**Like I care.**_

Sarada held back, because she's actually heard her father say that on multiple occasions to people he didn't think much of (namely Lord Sixth) and she'll never admit to her Sensei about how she used to say it to herself in the mirror to marvel at how uncanny she resembled him.

"Is that it?" Sarada asks at once.

"Yeah, I need to go but I'll try to make it tomorrow, in case you need me at the meeting." He nods at her and flickers out of sight quickly.

Sarada eyes the green scrolls. She looks through it briefly, then shoves it in her tool bag attached to her low hip and heads out to the hospital to go visit her friend.

* * *

It turns out Cho-Cho has finally been released from the hospital, along with the entire Akimichi clan members*, so Sarada went with her to the hamburger restaurant for lunch.

"Ehhhhhh?! Konohamro-Sensei is too much! I can't believe you didn't take that scroll and shove it up his -!"

"You're too loud. It's fine; at least tomorrow I'll have some instructions."

"Yeah but it's ridiculous that they just leave a genin up in the air like that for so long! And it's not like you can make a scene with Seventh – so really you should've gotten it off your chest and shouted at Konohamro some."

"You're logic strangely makes sense." Sarada blinks. "I must be hungrier than I though."

Cho-Cho tosses her long hair behind her shoulder and glares at Sarada. "Excuse me but this beautiful young woman thinks you can go shove it yourself!"

They both place their orders and sit down at a boot.

"You're ordering two salads?" Sarada asks, noticing.

"I don't know, I guess I'm trying to eat healthy now." Cho-Cho sighs. "My parents talked to me about using that secret jutsu to get thin like that, they said it wasn't good for my body to keep doing it. I love myself, but sometimes the way people look at me… I guess I can't be skinny anyways, because then I'll be a weak ninja – all the Akimiji ninja's are big. But I could be a little less big…Oh, whatever!" Cho-Cho stuffs her mouth with a tomato, blushing.

"I'm happy you'll be healthier Cho-Cho, you haven't been eating well since we've been little. I hope you'll achieve what you're hoping for from this." Sarada grins, without meaning to.

Cho-Cho got a sly grin on her face that told Sarada she's going to be teased.

"You're worried about me, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I'd prefer it if my friend lived long as a healthy person."

Cho-Cho grumbles. "Takin the fun out of teasing you."

"So no more Potato Chips?" Sarada chuckles, thinking of her friend's trade mark.

"Of course I'll still be eating Potato Chips! This is just a during-meals thing." Cho-Cho says, looking appalled.

_**She's definitely not going to drop weight.**_

"You know, I think you'll drop more weight if you train more – that way the time spent training you also wouldn't spend eating."

Cho-Cho looks reluctant.

"And I don't know that all Akimiji have to be fat. You could still be big, if we replaced that fat with muscles."

Cho-Cho blinks. "Did you just call me fat?"

"Come on, Cho-Cho – I'm offering this seriously. I don't think you'll be skinner but you'll be so much more in control of your body, and you'll be healthy."

"I… I guess. But I barely show up for the training I already got." She huffs her brown pony tail up in frustration.

"I'll do it with you, I don't mind. This way you have to show up."

"Urghh!" Cho-Cho leans backwards. "Why are you being so supportive right now?"

"You're my friend."

"Urghhh!"

"So?"

"I'll obviously do it!" Cho-Cho whines. "Also –"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Sarada nods politely, and the two eat lunch.

When they've finished Cho-Cho leaves in a jug, late for training with her team and Sarada is left to acknowledge the fact that she's got nothing to do.

She walks again, planning to go practice her ninjutsu before it gets dark, when she hears the weirdest noises.

"Eeeerg!"

"Eeeeeeeerg!"

"Geeeeeeeeeeeeer!"

"Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrr!"

Sarada crosses the street, leaving the houses and heading towards the main forest.

"Urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg!"

"Urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg!"

"That's the spirit Metal!" Lee-San, the village jonin calls, grabbing unto a branch one handed and pushing himself up and down, praising Metal for keeping up.

"Yes!"

Sarada watches them, and realizes Metal copies his father's noises of excitement, trying to impress him.

"Oh, what are you doing there?" Lee-San notices Sarada.

"Sarada-Chan?" Metal looks.

"I –"

_**I was just leaving.**_

"I have no one to train with."

Lee is quietly appraising her.

Metal's eyes widen and he looks up at his dad. "Papa can she join us?"

"Sarada-Chan, right?" Lee asks.

Sarada nods once, embarrassed.

"I would like to test your spirit of youth. In order to train with us, you'll first need to train with us for a week without quitting, and I won't take it easy on you!"

Sarada blinks. "So I can train with you?"

"No! You must first train with us before I accept you training with us!" Lee calls grandly.

"That's great Sarada-Chan! A test of will power!" Metal's eyes are shining.

Sarada makes up her mind and shrugs, heading over and prepares for the worst.

"I've got will power."

"Excellent! Let's start off easy – 400 pushups!" Lee calls.

"Yes!" Metal cheers and joins Sarada without hesitation.

_**At least it's productive (though sadistic).**_

* * *

* If you're wondering what happened there, it'll be mentioned in Part 2 ch 2

Plz leave a review, or fav and follow the story, you can follow me and any updates I have on my fics on my tumblr: SheRipper-fanficer

See ya next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I know – it's been about a month, right? My apologies with this extra long ch! Enjoy!

* * *

Sakura sighs deeply – it's mornings that make her doubt her choice of deciding to be a medic-nin the most. What made her wish to get up at dawn every day?!

She stretches and brushes her teeth mechanically, wishing she had more sleep after her long shift last night.

She's dressed, and heads to the kitchen – she should make some food for Sarada to eat for once –

There's already someone eating at the table at the Uchiha household.

"Eh! Sarada?!" Sakura blinks, rubbing her eyes. "Just how little sleep did I have?"

"Probably far too little." Sarada says calmly, eating breakfast while it's still dark outside. "I scheduled to exercise with Cho-Cho."

"At dawn?!" Sakura demands – if she could she'd sleep until noon every day.

"Early mornings are the only time we both had free. Mama you should sit and eat, I made us food."

Embarrassed, Sakura sits and helps herself.

"I could've prepared breakfast Sarada ~" Sakura pouts.

"It's fine, you work hard." Sarada nods at her and keeps eating.

Sakura tastes her omelet. "Mmmh! So good!" She suddenly feels more awake.

"I made a lot – so take some for work." Sarada says.

"Hey hey, who's the parent here?" Sakura frowns, securing a pink lock of hair behind her ear so it won't get in the way as she eats. "So what are your plans for today, besides training from hell?"

Sarada doesn't roll her eyes, but Sakura knows her daughter enough to know it was an effort.

"A meeting with Seventh."

"Naruto?" Sakura asks sharply. "Why?"

"Well, I don't have a team anymore." Sarada says nonchalantly.

"…I was the same you know."

Sarada's head snaps up in interest, and Sakura smiles sadly; it really bothers her daughter.

"Yeah, your father left the village, and Naruto left to train with his sensei because an evil group was chasing after him."

Sarada blinks with surprise. "That sounds a lot like what happened with Boruto."

"Right!" Sakura points out. "Well, I was alone for two years because of those two idiots! So Lady Tsunade agreed to take me on as an apprentice, and Ino eventually joined us as well, so we'd go on odd missions here and there too. I ended up becoming a Chunin on recognition of my progress, instead of through the Chunin exam, because I couldn't enter alone." Sakura tells, getting rather nostalgic. "Well, it was a long time ago. There's a chance you'll be assigned to another group. Or you could use this opportunity to find your own path – like your mom did."

"Mama,"

"Mm?" Sakura asks encouraging her daughter to ask questions.

"Aren't you late?"

Sakura looks at the clock.

"Ahhhhh!" Sakura jumps up in frenzy, grabs things left and right, and puts on shoes at the door.

"Lunch." Sarada hands her a bento.

"Waaaa thank you Sarada – I'll see you tonight have fun with Cho-Cho-chan! Oh, why are these shoes so small suddenly?!"

"Because they're mine."

"Oh." Sakura reddens and changes into her own shoes, then runs out the door, mind already on her patients and the workload waiting for her at the clinic she's assigned herself for the week.

* * *

There's a static sound heard in the darkness.

"_Are you recording this threat?_" a familiar voice calls calmly, as though through the radio.

"_Yeah. I'll make it the music on my alarm clock tomorrow_."

"_If I wake up at dawn and wait for you to help you out, you better be there awake and ready, or else I'll genjutsu you to see delicious food all around you – which you won't be able to eat_." The voice comes into focus, and Cho-Cho groans, barely getting herself out of bed to turn off the alarm clock.

"Ugh, alright!" Cho Cho grumbles, and drags herself to the bathroom to brush her teeth reluctantly. "Why do I have such a scary best friend?" she asks the mirror tiredly. "Who also wants me to be healthy? What did I do wrong in my past life?" She whines, getting dressed quickly.

Fifteen minutes later Cho Cho rushes out of the Akimichi household, to the meeting place – center of the village by the big frog statue.

Sarada Uchiha is already there, leaning on one of the fences. The streets are almost empty, except some food shopkeepers who are getting ready to open at six, and some shinobi here and there.

"Wahhh I'm here, I made it!" Cho-Cho whines, reaching her friend. "Don't torture me!" She cries.

"I would never." Her best friend says at once with a straight face.

A blatant lie, Cho-Cho knows.

"…Cho-Cho, I figured we'd do some physical training. Wouldn't you rather wear something more comfortable you won't mind sweating in?" Sarada asks her.

"Huh?" Cho-Cho now realizes that unlike the usual red and dark purple outfit Sarada wears a clean-black sleeveless shirt, long black sports-tights, and a deep-red fish-netted overall jacket that's loose and baggy on her, looking comfortable for stretching and training.

"What are those for?" Cho-Cho asks, looking at the purple cloth around both her wrists.

"It's to wipe off sweat, and to hide shuriken and poison bombs in – since I didn't bring my tool-bag in case we get ambushed."

"What the heck – why are you so well prepared for this?!" Cho-Cho demands.

"Why aren't you prepared in the least for this?"

"I don't know!"

"You're a mess."

"I know!"

"Alright, running or pushups?"

"Urghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh -!"

"Cho-Cho, don't make me punch you in the face."

"Running." Cho-Cho calls out eventually, and Sarada nods and starts jugging away.

"Wahhh wait for me! Hey!" Cho-Cho catches up, and for a while they maintain a rhythm that's not so bad.

"Hey this is easy!" Cho-Cho delights.

"We'll slowly pick up the pace."

"Or course we will. Oh, Potato-Chips this one's for you…" Cho-Cho laments, and pushes forward.

* * *

Shikamaru-San's head pops out through the doors, nodding her in. "Come in, Sarada-Chan."

Sarada straightens up from where she's been leaning on the wall opposite the Hokage's office doors for the past ten minutes and walks inside.

The round spacey office is the same as usual. There's the light from the big window overlooking the Village, there are stacks of paperwork the seventh starts shoving to the sides so he can be seen from behind them, smiling tiredly, and a large computer on the left side of the desk, getting in the way with its various large wires. The portraits of the previous and current Hokage all hang overhead around them on the walls, and Shikamaru-San stands next to the Hokage with his clipboard and serious expression.

The only thing that's new is that for the first time, Sarada finds herself standing before them all alone.

_**Konohamaru-Sensei's getting an official work-related complaint for his birthday this year.**_

"Lord Seventh, Shikamaru-San." Sarada greets formally.

Shikamaru-San nods in acknowledgment of her greeting.

Naruto scratches the back of his head distractedly, shuffling through the papers on his desk. "Yo, Sarada-Chan! Hang on, hang on!" he pleads, as though Sarada would get annoyed and walk out on the Hokage.

"Hey Naruto, I told you you'd lose it if you put it down anywhere on your desk." Shikamaru says, annoyed, sounding like his life is mostly babysitting the Hokage.

"Haaa – found it!" Naruto huffs at Shikamaru, and Sarada got the impression he might've said something rude if she hasn't been present.

"Anyways, Sarada you're in somewhat of a situation, and we've been wondering just what to do." Naruto tells her, blue eyes kind but serious. "I think this could be an interesting opportunity for you – most genin don't get to focus too deeply in any specific field, constantly focusing on the formation of their teams, and missions."

_**Yay me.**_

Sarada's eye twitches but she doesn't say anything. Shikamaru's little lip switch, however, tells her he easily sees through her and is fighting a snort. If her friend Shikadai is definitely one thing, it's not adopted.

"I'd like you to consider doing a bit of looking into some fields of study, see if anything seems particularly compelling for you." Naruto grins and she realizes she must be visibly surprised.

"I'm sure you've learned the basics in the academy, so you probably have an idea of what they might demand of you. Let's see, I wrote down some things I thought might suit you, but you're welcome to look up anything else that sounds good to you, and pursue it." Naruto reads for a minute, presumably his own notes, before nodding. "Right, so there are these ones; Fuijutsu, Kekkai Ninjutsu, and Iryō Ninjutsu." He tells her.

_**Sealing Jutsu, Barrier Jutsu, and Medical Ninjutsu. Likely because of my precise chakra control. **_

"If not these, there are more physical ones, such as Kenjutsu, Bukijutsu, and Taijutsu, since you do have a lot of talent with Shurikenjutsu I thought you might relate to these as well... let's see, what else?"

_**Sword techniques, Weaponry techniques, and Body techniques.**_

"There's also Techno-Nin, who've become rather relevant as of late, and the Intelligence Gathering Unit are always looking for more apprentices."

_**Not Genjutsu? Is it simply obvious that I'd want to focus on my Dōjutsu? Should I bring it up?**_

Sarada decides against it, unsure why.

Techno-Nin. She can ask Sumire or Denki about it, see if they recommend any specific basic theoretical reading that might tell her if she'd be interested in it or not. Still, isn't Seventh supposed to hate Techno-Nin or something? Why is it suddenly so important, because of Ao-San's and Kara's interest in it?

Sarada remembers the battle against Ao – it's been confusing and dangerous more than anything else, and that boy's appearance was the strangest thing about it – Kawaki.

Not that she cares about him – but what he did to Boruto always angers her.

"If there's one you find yourself drawn to the most, we'll help you find a teacher. I'm sure there won't be a problem – you're a hardworking girl, if the recommendations from your teachers at school are any indication, and Konohamaru speaks confidently about your ability to pick things up." He says casually, eyes glancing at the paperwork in front of him, as though reading said recommendations as he speaks.

_**Don't blush. You like compliments too much – you were third in your year at the academy and Shino-Sensei is a marshmallow who probably wrote recommendations to every student of his; it's not surprising at all. **_

Still, Sarada finds herself at the center of the Hokage's attention and his right hand man, and somewhat blushing, annoyed at herself.

"Alright, you'll have to turn in reports every other week on your progress and we'll take it from there. Any questions?" he asks happily, pleased to have gone through all of his notes for this meeting.

"What about missions?" She asks, suspicious it hasn't been brought up by itself and rather bored with all the talk about studying all of those things.

"Well, I'm sorry to say we have nowhere to put you for the moment, and without a team we just can't assign you any work. So in the meantime, why don't you focus on deciding on your path regarding what we've talked about?"

Lord Seventh may be grinning apologetically, but that's unacceptable for Sarada.

_**I'm not letting you bench me. I'll stay right here all week if I have to.**_

She steels herself. "So what, Boruto and Mitsuki leave and I have to stop? I refuse. Find me a new team, or whatever you want, but I'm going to be sent out on missions so my record can keep filling up, I'm going to keep moving forward no matter what."

"Sarada-chan,"

"I worked hard to become a genin – and chunin and jonin don't operate regularly on their three-people assigned teams after they're no longer genin. It's not fair that I have to be held back by something that was outside of my hands – and"

"Sarada-chan –"

"And I'm a Leaf genin – you have a responsibility of taking care of the ninja who aspire to better themselves and –"

"Sarada-_chaaaaaaaaaan_!"

"A wise Hokage would reassign me to a –"

Lord Seventh's left eye twitches badly and before Sarada can finish her sentence a mission sheet appears in front of her face (suspiciously it coves her lips enough to force them to stop moving).

"D rank missions within the village and the surrounding forests of the village only!" Lord Seventh calls, uncharacteristically annoyed.

"Hey hey!" Shikamaru-San scowls, looking up from his clipboard, but Naruto ignores him.

"Just for a while, until we have something more permanent decided for your situation." He says testily.

"…" Sarada stares at a request to retrieve a cat from a rich resident of the Leaf.

"Well?!" Lord Seventh asks, shaking the paper in emphasize.

Clearly only lame missions will make it her way, but as she'll do those on her own entirely, that seems logically safe. Knowing she'll have to restart her lecture and rant all over if she wants to annoy the Hokage into a better deal, and that might get her disliked or run out of the office by Shikamaru-San.

She nods sharply.

"I'll take it." She grabs the paper sharply from Naruto, who sighs in relief – clearly glad it's over.

Shikamaru-San grumbles unhappily. "We can't just send her on missions without backup!"

"Shikamaru-San," Sarada says in the most mature and serious voice she can manage, pushing her glasses up her nose. "in the world of shinobi there are no backsies."

It's Shikamaru's turn to eye-twitch.

Naruto nods sagely until Shikamaru glares at him.

"Hey she's twelve, which makes her behavior excusable. You're supposed to be an adult, Naruto."

_**Twelve and three quarters**_.

The Hokage looks like a scolded child in his swiveling chair. "Hey I'm a perfectly good adult! I know all about taxes, and those are hell'a hard!"

"I know for a fact that Hinata does the taxes." Shikamaru-San says dryly, amazingly unimpressed.

The Hokage looks like he's refusing to blush. "She knows so much about stuff like that, coming from such a stable household. They teach the Hyuga's the strangest things…"

"By strange, you mean practical?" Shikamaru turns away before the Hokage can argue further. "Sarada, I'm afraid we simply can't let you –"

Sarada makes the tiger hand seal.

_Body Flicker Technique!_

And flickers out of the office before he can finish, appearing at the first floor of the building in a second, in front of the genin missions administrator desk.

Nobody much blinks at her appearance but, seeing how this is a building assigned mainly for shinobi, that makes sense.

_**Well, if Shikamaru-San is anything like his son, I'm going to pay for pulling that trick over him sooner rather than later, and with no small amount of **__**interest.**_

Wincing at the thought of how that's going to go, she quickly hands the administrator the mission approval paper, and gets the blue colored scroll officially giving her the mission.

"There you go good luck."

"Thank you." She puts it in her standard tool bag – attached to her lower back – and makes a swift exit from the building before anybody stops her.

"Hey!"

Sarada turns around to see the short-haired Wasabi waving her over from a food-shop window.

"Come join!" the girl demands.

Sarada grins with pride and shakes her head.

"Can't! I've got a cat to catch!"

* * *

A\N: Sneaky Sarada – I love her! Comments are food and water for me! I'd love to hear your feedback, and you're welcome to find me on tumblr too!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Another chapter! I'm so proud of myself! First thank you to all the supporters out there, who reviewed!

* * *

It's slow going, but Sarada's life begins to find its pace back after losing two teammates (and an absentee Sensei).

The burn to her muscles settles over the weeks, and she grows accustomed to her two morning practices and the Taijutsu training during evenings. Over time she knows she'll grow more accustomed to them, and would be able to take on even more.

As far as schedules go, Sarada's restores some form of order to her life. Most of the day is for going down the list of things to try out the Seventh gave her.

It's slow going.

First she asks Sumire about Techno-Nin. After one of their morning training sessions, the two sit at a coffee shop, joined by Denki and it seems a perfect opportunity to ask.

"You're interested?" Sumire asks, blinking in surprise. "Well, it's a lot of mechanics; obviously you need to study engineering a lot."

"And computers." Denki adds sounding like that's an absolute imperative.

"Right." Sumire agrees. "Also, mathematics, electricity, etc… honestly, it's got little actual _Nin_, in Techno-Nin." She shrugs. "Not to brag, but I'm a fast learner yet it's still slow running even for me. It's very interesting, however." Sumire grins encouragingly.

"Right, thanks. I'll think it over." Sarada tells them, swearing to herself to never go near it again.

Sarada doesn't see how all this knowledge can fit into her dream of becoming Hokage. She can't afford to study so much for something that is only barely shinobi related. Yes, its impact and importance in today's technological world isn't lost on Sarada, but she'll leave it to those whose passions align with it.

Next she ventures onto Barrier Jutsu. For that she goes to the ever-ready-to-annoy-her-while-still-being-helpful Inojin.

"Bunch of standing around, nothing much." Inojin says casually, blowing a bubblegum. "Oh, and monitoring a screen. I can show you, but it's boring, so just ask my mom."

Sarada comes into the Barrier Unit building, right after flipping Inojin off.

She finds various Shinobi (mostly members of the Yamanaka clan) going about.

It seems that Aunt Ino in particular works a lot with complicated telepathy and barrier jutsus, but if you're a rookie, Inojin is right – mostly screen duty and standing around letting the barrier drain you of your chakra.

"Okay but what about small circles of barriers?" Sarada asks, trying to bring the subject back to anything that can be useful to her during missions."To cloak yourself and your team from enemy forces, or how to dismantle and break barriers you come across during missions?"

Ino shrugs, grinning. "That's not exactly what apprentices learn in Konoha, Sarada-chan. You start on Village Barrier duty, and slowly learn the craft. The basics you learn at the academy, and well, maybe the Allied Forces' Barrier Division has more access to these sorts of individual uses, but those would only be available to those advanced enough to belong to that division."

_**Sounds useless unless my mission encompasses setting up and maintaining a barrier around a certain place indefinitely.**_

Sarada winces, wondering if Aunt Ino would be insulted if she rejects an apprenticeship here.

"Listen Sarada, the Konoha Barrier Team is in charge of maintaining the barrier and detecting intruders. It's very important – and a very specific type of barrier. If you're looking for the basics, you've learned them already at school. If you're looking for flashy barriers to use during battle –" Ino gives her a knowing look. "I have to say that fusing barrier jutsu into ninjutsu and attacks takes a lot of skill and knowledge, and is mostly something for… more experienced shinobi. Not a genin. My area of expertise is the barriers used to detect and monitor individuals, protecting this village to the best of my abilities. Well, as well as communication jutsus, but that's a separate field."

Sarada raises her eyebrow. "Communications sounds interesting."

"Sorry kid, Clan secrets." Ino brushed her long blond ponytail behind her shoulder. "If you're looking for communications jutsu to master, you'll need another teacher."

Ino crosses her arms as Sarada frowns. "So I take it you won't be joining us here?"

According to Inojin, he was signed up as an apprentice here the day he was born.

Sarada grimaces.

Ino looks like she's stopping herself from complaining about Sarada wasting her time, nods, and bids her farewell and a promise to yell at her mom to drop by the flower shop soon.

After crossing that off her list as well, Sarada eats lunch one afternoon in the Hamburger restaurant, going over the past week with Inojin.

"Told you it's a bore. If I had any choice I wouldn't be there either." Inojin says easily, ordering his meal.

Sarada sighs. "This is like a treasure chase I didn't sign up for."

_**This isn't what being a genin is supposed to be like.**_

"Hey what about you mom? You could study under her, right?"

Frankly, Sarada didn't even bother with Medical ninjutsu, having decided a while ago already that's not her path.

"Not my scene." She tells him honestly.

Inojin nods thoughtfully. "Well my mom did mention communications and what not. I mean, you can't learn my clan's telepathy jutsus, but there's still the Intelligence Gathering Unit at Konoha, I'm sure they're looking for creepy ninja who want to dig inside their enemies' brains." He grins.

"You suck."

His grin widens.

"I'm not creepy. Just practical." Sarada frowns.

"Don't take it the wrong way." Inojin says.

Sarada lets herself feel appeased.

"Being creepy is perfect for a career as a ninja." Inojin finishes.

"You seriously suck."

Inojin laughs merrily, and their order comes in.

The two dig in, as Inojin tells her about his team's latest missions, and Sarada shows him all of her scratches from various cats.

After lunch Sarada is heads home, to go over her studies before her evening training with the Lees, and Inoin heads to Shikadai's house to train with his team and Cho-Cho's dad.

"Hey did I tell you that Iwabee's team landed themselves a C-Rank mission? So annoying." Inojin sighs, looking like the three boys of Udon's team are living the dream.

"…Good for them." Sarada says, aware that her jealousy is probably apparent. Metal _has been_ absent for a few days from evening practices now, which now made sense.

For a while they walk in silence, accompanying each other.

Sarada's eyes find themselves drawn contemplatively to the sword Inojin carries on his back.

"Hey, I don't think I've actually seen you use the sword too much during battles." She tells him honestly. "Do you practice?"

_**Sword techniques was on the list Seventh gave me.**_

Inojin shrugs. "Not as much as I should. The focus is really on the team, and my clan ninjutsu, you know?"

Sarada blinks at that honest answer. "I mean, I practice shuriken a lot, but it's not the same without a teacher."

The two genin stare at each other.

"Well, Ten-Ten-san is easy enough to annoy into helping us out, and we both know her." Inojin says offhandedly, like it doesn't matter.

"Right. Lord sixth is retired. If we can convince him, that'll be cool." Sarada says, trying to sound like she couldn't care less.

Neither one fools the other.

* * *

Next week meets Sarada in the form of a much shorter list.

_Sealing jutsu_

_Sword techniques (speak with Ten-Ten-san) _

_Weaponry techniques_

_Body techniques_

_Intelligence Gathering Unit_

Sarada crosses off Body techniques without blinking.

She's only taking evening training for intense Taijutsu, but it's honestly already hard.

Rock Lee-san is ruthless, and Sarada's muscles are still grumbling at her about it (although she's getting used to it slowly, and it's made her physical reaction time shorter and more in synch with the speed with which her Sharingan can see during battle… well during practice against Sumire, so far).

_**If I ask to learn under him… his overexcitement alone will kill me.**_

There's also Genjutsu, which she attempts to work on her own sometimes. It depletes her chakra very quickly, which leaves her unsure of what to do – it doesn't seem to be getting any less straining to use. Her mother advised to focus on growing Sarada's chakra as she grows as a ninja so it'll be easier to use Genjutsu and her Sharingan.

The building of the Intelligence unit is… intimidating. She'll wait to go there for now.

Ten-Ten-san might actually crack soon, as much as Inojin and Sarada have been pestering her for the past week, but that'll still be a few days. (Neither genin was brave enough to approach the retired Hokage)

"Alright, Sealing Jutsu." Sarada promises to herself, taking off her glasses and folding them on her bed stand.

Sarada thinks of the last time she's seen either of her teammates. It's already been a month.

"I'll check out the Sealing Unit tomorrow." She mutters, and gets into bed.

Sarada does not, in fact, get the chance to do that the next day, as something very unexpected happens.

Actually, it's a long time before Sarada has a chance to go to the Sealing Unit at all.

* * *

Ahhhhh! I'M STARVING! For validation! Please leave comments and kudos so I can FEEDD  
And I'd love if you supported me at my tumblr :)  SheRipper-Fanficer


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Part 1\2 Rustling Leaves arc 

A few days before Sarada's eventful day, another story begins –

* * *

"Oi! Long time no see!" A shout from across the street stops him in his tracks.

Iwabee turns to see and smirks. "Yo Inojin! Catch you later! I've got a C-Rank mission!" He barks, swinging the Jō he carries around – a long wooden staff.

"Sweet." Inojin whistles infectiously. "Good luck!" he waves.

Iwabee laughs. He loves being a ninja. "I don't need luck!"

"Yeah yeah!" Inojin Yamanaka shouts, unimpressed.

Iwabee marches to where his team meets up. He makes it and finds out he's the first one there.

"Oi it's a C-Rank! Unbelievable – how could they be late?!" He asks himself impatiently.

_**I've worked so damn hard to become a genin, for so damn long.**_

_**This is going to be everything.**_

Iwabee taps his foot, wanting nothing less than to rush off and do this mission right now alone if he has to, his late teammates be dammed –

"Hey Iwabee, you're here early."

Iwabee turns on the spot, fighting fire ignited. "Denki! _Why are you so late?!_"

Denki is quick to deny this. "Hey I'm not late, I'm right on time."

"Lies! I was here on time!" Iwabee huffs.

Denki sighs. "You do this every time, honestly."

Iwabee continues, pretending he can't hear him. "And why is Metal making us wait for so long?!"

"Slow down, would you? Sensei isn't even here yet." Denki declares tiredly.

"If Sensei isn't here yet, he's late. If he's late, it must mean that he is mortally wounded!" Iwabee jumps.

"He's not late." Denki points out.

"Maybe it's the mission, or he got attacked -!"

Denki grabs Iwabee by the arm to stop him as he's half ready to jump off the bridge and run in search of their teacher.

"Iwabee seriously –"

"I'M COMING UDON-SENSEI! DON'T! STOP! FIGHTING!" Iwabee screams at the top of his lungs, hoping it can reach poor, dying, scared, Udon-Sensei, wherever he is.

"Iwabee please, it's too early in the morning for this." Denki deadpans, behind him, someone was coming their way.

"Udon-Sensei!" Iwabee growls at the man walking towards them onto the bridge. "Something happened to Metal!"

Udon Sensei comes over to them, dressed in the standard flak jacket of Konoha shinobi.

"Ehhhhhh? Now it's Metal?!" Denki demands, shocked.

"Clearly!" Iwabee yells, imagining images where his teammate is in trouble. "Since he's not here! Since when is Metal ever late to anything?! How does that fit into being youthful?!"

"Metal is still not here?" their teacher asks calmly, looking around. "Let's wait a few minutes then."

"Come on! We need a rescue mission to rescue Metal!"

Denki says "Maybe he just overslept, that's all." logically.

_**And he's supposed to be smart!**_

"Metal wakes up before the SUN! To exercise! _HOW_ could he have overslept?!" Iwabee demands, sure Metal's in some serious trouble right now.

"You're paranoid." Denki tells him, leaning back on the railing.

"Paranoid's one word for it." Their teacher mumbles. "Oh, there he is."

Iwabee looks to see the last of Team 5 running over to them at full speed.

"Ahhh! Sorry!"

"Metal what took you so long? We've been waiting for so long, you know." Iwabee demands, now that his friend seems completely fine, if breathless.

Metal seems shocked to the very core of his being. "I'm so sorry everyone!"

"We arrived five minutes before you Metal, don't worry about it." Denki says, glaring at Iwabee.

"It's just that I overslept." Metal says, looking embarrassed.

"Ha!" Denki calls, surprised himself that he was right.

"Until ten thirty?" Udon-Sensei asks, curious. "That's not like you."

"Oh no, I woke up at 5 AM sir!" Metal informs them, not noticing the looks of horror on all of his team's faces. "Which I don't need to tell you is madness! I'm in my spring time of youth! Waking up at 5 AM is to waste a precious hour of the day you could be exercising at! But last night's practice ran late, and I couldn't help it! So morning practice kind of ran longer too –"

Udon-Sensei stops him. "Metal, it's fine. You weren't late by much. Let's start heading out and I'll give you info on the mission on the way."

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Finally!"

Team 5 arrive to Konoha's front gates and Udon-Sensei gives the guards their permissions to leave the village.

While he does so, Denki turns to Metal.

"So why did your practice run late last night Metal?"

Iwabee didn't care enough to ask, honestly. The answer is probably a competition of wills of some sort between Metal and his father.

"Oh, Sarada-Chan finally passed the test and is now BURNING with the spirit of youth!" Metal's eyes actually shined.

Iwabee and Denki stare at him, blinking stupidly.

"What?"

"Now we can train longer and harder together!" Metal goes on, eyes sparkling more and more.

"Wait, Sarada is training with you and your dad?" Iwabee asks, wondering to himself when that happened.

"Oh yes, during late evening practices!" Metal nods. "Now that there are three of us we're even more excited to be working hard!" he shouts, and Iwabee can actually see Metal's eyes burning with the power of youth.

"I can't imagine Sarada excited about anything." Iwabee tells Denki, while Metal is shouting all sort of nonsense at nobody in particular.

"Be nice." Denki asks, but doesn't deny that he can't either.

"My papa is preparing a surprise for her, now that she's full pledged Taijutsu enthusiast! She's going to be so excited when he gives her a specially made set of Guy-Sama's rubber green over-all tights!"

Iwabee imagines Sarada in just that.

He snorts so loudly Denki has to step on his foot.

"I'm sure she will. I was happy when you guys gave me one." Denki says kindly.

"Oh don't remind me! You pulled it out a couple of missions ago and put it on right in front of the clients! It was so embarrassing!" Iwabee groans.

_**Not to mention, it looks super uncool. **_

_**But hey, not like I can tell that to my two teammates. I don't want to hurt their feelings.**_

"It was not embarrassing!" Denki huffs, getting angry.

"Hey! Let's go boys!" Udon-Sensei calls, effectively stopping any argument.

The three genin follow him out of the village and into the forest.

"Okay, your first C-Rank mission in a while. How do you feel?"

"Excited." Iwabee calls.

_**Finally! Finally! FINALLY!**_

"We're ready!" Denki says, determined.

"We'll make our hard work pay off!" Metal promises.

"Alright, listen up. A small village requested shinobi aid against a gang of local criminals making trouble for them since May. The village is on the border with us, and on the border of Sound, so they don't have much protection, which is why I have no doubt it took a lot for them to manage to afford us – don't let them down, these people are counting on you."

"Sir, yes sir!" all three genin yell with feeling.

"Good. There shouldn't be any trouble here. We need to capture all the criminals and hand them over to the Police Center stationed close by. Questions?"

"Sir, no sir!"

"Alright."

And the four jump from tree branch to tree branch, getting closer to their destination ahead.

Several hours later they're close to the small village.

The calming sounds of birds chirping accompanied team 10 on their journey to the border village. Green leaves and distant sounds of waterfalls surround them, the closer they get.

"This place is really cut off." Denki notes.

"It's a rural place; you won't find much technology here." Udon-Sensei says.

"It's really in the middle of nature, isn't it?" Iwabee looks around, not used to the lack of buzzing screens, and advertisements, and people busy at work.

"Our village is literally hidden in the leaves." Denki reminds him dryly.

_**Yeah but I live at the center, not the outskirts. I only see the forest when we leave for missions.**_

Iwabee, who grew up in a less than impressive household that never had the luxury to see much of the world, knew his friend, born to a rich family and probably got to travel all the time, wouldn't understand, so he doesn't try and explain.

Iwabee trained and worked himself to the bone for years to become a ninja so he could become somebody and see more places than his parents could show him.

"This place is calm, and nourishing." Metal seems pleased, and at ease. "I might train here when we're done, with Papa. This could be an excellent place to connect to the body. No! To the soul. No! To the –"

"We're close, don't make unnecessary noise." Udon says urgently, cutting them off. "If the outlaws are circling the outside of the village we don't want to alert them that we're here."

"Sir, yes sir!" the three boys whisper.

"Let's go." Udon says, and leaps forward swiftly, leading them.

* * *

When Iwabee sees five big, muscular, men surrounding one guy just as they're about to come upon the village, he's left with no doubt that they're the ones he's been sent to beat the hell up.

A sharp, mute, direction from Udon-Sensei tells them to spread around the group silently and listen to what they're saying before interfering, and so Iwabee and Denki creep up through the trees, as across the clearing Udon and Metal do the same.

"-We know the old man got 'em. How much stuffing do we need to beat out of you?" asks the tallest man, bearing an eye patch across one eye, sounding evil and like Iwabee will really enjoy beating the hell up.

Iwabee taps his Jō impatiently, ignoring Denki's eye roll; some aspects of being a shinobi never came easily to him.

"I'd say his body will serve as the best message, don't you think?" the silky voice sounds eager. Hungry. This man is lean and smiling creepily and makes the hairs at the back of Iwabee's neck shiver.

"I – Please, please, I didn't do any –" the younger man, who looks like a boy Iwabee's age from this close, looks panicked.

"That's right, you haven't done anything yet, shouldn't you be more useful?" grunts a fat, round, stubby looking man, spitting everywhere as he does. "You know where the treasure's at, don't you?" he spits impatiently, taping his fingers on the giant sword on his back.

The lanky creepy bastard leans down to grab the boy's jaw between sharp, merciless, knuckles.

"Let's loosen up your tongue, Sweetheart."

Thanks to his Ninja training Iwabee can almost see it in slow motion; the short knife pulls out of Creepy Lanky guy's sleeve, swooping to the boy's face.

Then it's stuck, an inch from piercing the skin, by Udon-Sensei's jutsu – the icy substance appearing out of nowhere to capture Creepy Lanky in place.

The boy scrambles away, taking his chance to run.

Tallest Eye-Patch is quickly forming hand signs for Earth Release and chucks giant rocks at Udon to break the jutsu's castor, preoccupied with maintaining his Frozen Snot Jutsu (Iwabee tends to forget the actual name of his Sensei's jutsu so he just calls it that).

Metal jumps up, "AHHHHH!" and kicks and punches all the rocks to change their projectile, not allowing them to come near Udon's direction.

Spitting Fatso swings his enormous sword around, running at Metal who looks almost tiny next to this man, but Iwabee blocks him from his Nakama by smashing the earth with his Jō powerfully, and Denki's quick Barrier Jutsu takes the enemy by surprise as soon as he steps up to cut Iwabee in half.

"URGHH! You shitty kids!" Spitting Fatso grunts, shaking off the pain from stumbling onto Denki's barrier carelessly.

"Leaf Shinobi!" Tallest Eye-Patch yells, and the two other guys slip by through the chaos and neither pair of team 5 can stop them, too busy with low-level criminals who happen to have more punch in them then they initially thought.

"I thought they wouldn't be shinobi!" Iwabee rages, using his anger issues to swing his Jō with all his might on the giant sword trying to break it, but it seems to be enhanced by shinobi seals.

Spitting Fatso lifts one meaty leg up, changing course to where Denki is crouched on the sidelines, and goes to kick him. Not wanting to imagine what a kick like that would do to his smallest teammate, Iwabbe swings the Jō to form a sharp end using Earth Release and grabs Spitting Fatso's other leg, bringing the heavy man down.

On the ground, Denki quickly sets a basic sealing jutsu to stop him from getting up in time to avoid Iwabee's offensive attack and Iwabee smacks down his Jō, attached to a _big chunk of rock_, right on Spitting Fatso's stomach with a _POW_! The power of the attack causes the earth underneath the criminal to shatter a bit, and turns Spitting Fatso unconscious.

Iwabee shares a smug look with Denki. Their teamwork sure has gotten better.

"DENKI!" Metal's voice breaks through the air, unfamiliar in its utter horror, and Iwabee's heart sinks all the way to his stomach, chill clutching to him like a disease.

_**Where is it?**_

_**Where's the danger?!**_

It's over in two seconds. By the time they've all blinked, Udon-Sensei has Creepy Lanky tightly sealed on the floor, disarmed, inches behind Denki.

It takes a second longer to digest and analyze, even to Iwabee's trained mind.

At some point Creepy Lanky must've gotten out of Udon's jutsu, and managed to reach all the way to Denki without his presence being detected at all until Metal noticed, in a split second before the tragedy would've occurred, and screamed just before a jagged short deadly kunai stuck itself through Denki's skull. It took less than a split second for Udon-Sensei to flash over and subdue the threat.

"Shit." Iwabee breaths, staggered. "_Shit!_"

_**I should've sensed him creeping closer. We both should've – we're fucking ninja!**_

Metal hurries over, the side of his face bruised.

"We've got three of them, two managed to get away and we have to assume our presence here has been spread to the rest of the gang members and they'll be better prepared in the next altercation." Udon-Sensei pushes up his glasses. "Denki, alright?"

Denki looks shook, chest beating up and down visibly. But he nods, even though not one of his teammates is fooled.

"The enemy seems to vary in levels of threat, in my rough estimation, between Genin and Chunin." Udon-Sensei says analytically, critically looking over the battleground.

The fight changed it, what with both Iwabee and Tallest Eye-Patch guy using Earth Release for their attacks and Udon's Jutsu leftovers on the scene.

Tallest Eye-Patch guy is face down on the ground, immobilized by means Iwabee can't identify.

"Well, you wanted a C-Rank mission, and you got it." Udon-Sensei tells them dryly. "It was a surprise that the enemy turned out trained, but not entirely unpredictable. You do, however, need to remember this and be extra cautious during this mission."

Somberly, having almost lost one of their own, all three boys nods and says tightly "Sir, yes sir."

Udon nods and throws Creepy Lanky over his shoulder. "Metal, grab him." he directs, towards Tallest Eye-Patch guy. Metal, who carries heavier weights around just for fun five times a week, easily does so.

"Iwabee, Denki, try to carry that one together, will you?" he gestures to Spitting Fatso, lying on the ground at their feet.

Denki grimaces and starts putting lightning seals on their capture.

"Closest Fire Police Center is stationed nearby, and they've been informed of our mission here beforehand they'll be expecting us to bring in the criminals to them, it shouldn't be far."

And with that, they head out.

"Metal, you should see if there are Medic-Nin at the Police Center." Denki mutters, head bowed as they make their way slowly.

Metal seems to be blinking back tears. Despite being so strong and resilient physically Metal has always been the most sensitive of the three boys, and seems unable to shake what happened off. "I'm fine… a few of the rocks got through."

"Right," Iwabee growls. "what are some rocks to the face when you're Metal Lee." He calls approvingly, trying to somehow lift his teammate's spirits.

_**Considering I suck at this sort of thing I really hope it'll be enough.**_

_**I hope I'm enough.**_

Guilt hunts Iwabee as they make their way, carrying and half dragging their cargo.

If his arms are slightly trembling as he walks, nobody comments on it.

He can't even imagine what would happen if one day he'll let one of his teammates die.

_**God, I hope I'm enough.**_

That day's mission never left Iwabee's memory, even as an old man, simply because it was the first time their team has ever almost lost one during action. The very first time, Iwabee nearly lost someone important right before his eyes.

The first, but not the last.

"Hey!" Udon-Sensei yells from up ahead.

"Let's deliver these guys quickly.

We still need to meet our client."

-End part 1\2-


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Part 2\2 Rustling Leaves arc

The client, a solid middle-aged man with brown hair, shakes all four of their hands tightly as soon as they walk into the village.

Behind him stand a small crowd, and the boy they saved in the forest.

"You saved one of mine, thank you. Please, we're counting on you to restore our safety. I can't tell you how imperative it is to us." The client, a counsel to the head of the village, says in an impressive voice.

Iwabee finds him off, as a whole, but can't quite read the man and so dismisses it.

He lets Udon-Sensei deal with the polite talk and what not, and keeps his eyes on the edges of the village, for any possible danger.

His teammates both are on edge as well, practically radiating impulsiveness.

For once, Iwabee feels like Metal and he will be the careful ones, and Denki the one they'll need to keep in check.

Something almost wild comes over the computer genius; to not be a burden, or to prove himself.

Iwabee doesn't know which it is, but is intimately familiar with both of those emotions and can tell pretty easily where Denki's thoughts lie.

The boy (who _is_ Iwabee's age) thanks them, and they're shown to their lodgings.

Udon-Sensei gathers them and strikes up a strategic plan for their mission.

"Alright, we'll pair up for this mission. I'll be with Iwabee, Metal and Denki you're together. Each pair gets a shift through the nights to guard the village and look out for any move the gang will make. Right now, however, you two –" he points to Metal and Denki "will guard the village as Iwabee comes with me."

"Where to, Sensei?" Iwabee asks.

"I need to do some snooping around. We're missing some information and I'm making sure nothing slips past us." Is the evasive reply.

Knowing Iwabee will be with him when whatever secret part of this mission occurs he doesn't press for details.

"Metal, here." Udon uses a basic healing jutsu on Metal's bruises, and Metal knows better than to object. They'll need to be at top form for the next attack.

"Food pills." Udon-Sensei orders and the three genin all take out one and chump it down.

"We'll be working through the night, likely, so you need to stay sharp and alert through the drowsiness." He explains.

Metal and Denki leave first, circling the village and protecting the civilians.

Udon-Sensei waits until evening turns to night, and the shadows are bigger, before giving the order and they too leave.

Very quickly Iwabee realizes that 'more information' equals burglary.

"It's not burglary." Udon-Sensei repeats dryly, ignoring Iwabee's incredulous scoff. "We're not going to steal anything, but it's our job to gather information – I won't keep explaining things to you if you keep rolling your eyes at me."

Iwabee shrugs, as Udon goes through papers on the client's desk.

_**Right, totally moral. Got it.**_

"Should I come back with a flashlight and ski masks?" Iwabee asks, eyebrow twitching.

"It's fine," Udon reaches for his tool bag. "I've got a flashlight."

Iwabee grumbles, mainly to pass the time.

Udon goes through all sorts of papers, at times mumbling to himself. "Strange, this is further back then we've… oh this one's the tax reports…"

Just as Iwabee's about to lose his mind with boredom, he senses somebody beyond the tent.

The tent seems to be a set up quarters for the client, right at the middle of the village. A lot of them seem to be living in tents, likely unable to afford even building small wooden houses.

"Someone's heading here." Iwabee readies himself, before he recognizes the other boy. "What are you doing here, Denki?" Iwabee hisses. "And where's your ski mask?!"

"I – " Denki pauses right at the opening of the tent, unsure. "What?"

"Ignore him. What is it Denki?" Udon-Sensei says with practiced calm.

"Sensei, Metal and I were circling around the village when that boy we saved today came running to us." Denki says, frowning. "He said some of the villagers are in trouble in the west side of the village, on the verge of the forest."

Udon watches his student carefully. "But?"

"I don't know. He said some of the criminals showed up, and started attacking them… But, I mean, something isn't right."

Denki waits until Udon nods to keep going.

"It's a bit of a coincidence that it's the same boy the criminals targeted earlier today, right? And these people, they barely have anything – this place has more tents than houses. Why would criminals stay around this place for so long? And this morning, they weren't trying to rob him, were they? It's like; they were trying to find out where something is. Something is definitely up. I thought you needed to know."

Udon-Sensei doesn't miss a beat. "What about Metal?"

"Well, we couldn't be sure if it's a trap or if there are actually people in danger right now, so we decided to separate. Metal went to make sure everybody's safe, and I went searching for you… Errmm, where are we? Whose stuff are you stealing?"

Udon-Sensei ignores that.

"I found paperwork stating this village has been gathering funds to be able to afford hiring us for longer than they've reported their criminals being here and causing problems." Udon-Sensei sniffs, pushing his glasses up.

"Why would they start saving money for help before they knew they needed it?" Iwabee asks, feeling a chill in his chest.

"I told you, shinobi always need to make sure they have all the facts. You're right Denki, something's up."

"What do we do now, Sensei?" Denki asks.

"Iwabee, you head out for Metal, in case he needs backup."

Iwabee nods, ready to sprint.

"Denki, we wait. This is the client's tent and he'll soon return to retire for the night. We'll confront him here, he should feel threatened in his own place and that should make it easier for us to get some answers."

Denki nods, and hides best he can in the shadows.

Iwabee is about to leave the tent when Udon's hand grabs his wrist.

"Wait, I think he's coming." His teacher whispers and the Leaf Ninja all take cover.

The tent's flap opens and the client marches inside, heading towards the desk with the scattered papers.

They're all out of place since Udon-Sensei didn't get a chance to put them back the way they were before.

"What the – HEY!" he screams, noticing Iwabee.

_**Damn it, my J**__**ō**__** is too big to hide!**_

"What's the meaning of this!" the middle aged man demands.

"We've got some questions." Udon says emotionlessly, as Denki and Iwabee come closer as well.

"What do you think you're doing here?! You should be in the west - !"

"Yes, I've heard about that. Tell me, are you a prophet?"

The client blinks, taken aback by that. "What?!"

"Can you time travel?"

"I – the hell are you talking about?! That's ridiculous!"

"Then if you're neither of these things, how come you knew you'd have a problem, before you had it?" Udon calmly gestures to the paperwork.

"I have no idea what you mean! You just need to do your job -!"

"Are you hiding something? Is this what the criminals are really after? Is it illegal?"

The man's eyes panic, but after a moment it's masked by entitlement and anger.

"You best remember you work for me! Just do what I tell you and keep your nose out!"

"The Fire Police Center will be in charge of your investigation." Udon informs him. "I'm cancelling the contract you've negotiated with Konoha."

"Oh no you don't you useless oppressive ninja!" the man throws his fists in the air, and Iwabee sees him looking for an escape.

Iwabee marches to the villager with the full intent of knocking him out and chaining him up to take to the closest police center.

"AHHHHH!" The middle aged man pulls up one of his sleeves and reveals something silvery attached to his arm. The structure begins clicking, and lightening up.

"What on hell -?" Iwabee stares, not understanding.

Short arms wrap around Iwabee's waist and a leg kicks the back of his knees. Denki uses the imbalance he created to force Iwabee to fall to the ground with him.

The stream of power that shoots out of the weapon on the client's arm leaves nothing – the cloth of the tent, trees, rocks, and part of the hill that stood right behind where Iwabee was a moment ago, all disintegrate.

Udon-Sensei creates three shadow clones, and he begins doing what he can to get close enough to physically knock the older man out of commission.

Iwabee gets up to a sitting position, unable to look away from the damage the attack caused to their surroundings.

"I would've… died." He realizes, stunned.

Denki gets up too, letting go of Iwabee. "You wouldn't have died; I wouldn't have let you die." The shorter boy huffs. "However, if that power caught even a piece of you –" Denki warns.

In Iwabee's panicked state, he can only imagine one 'piece' of him that might have been compromised and immediately looks down.

It would've been a fatal fatality.

He feels Denki's elbow right in his ribs.

"Ow!"

"You're an idiot! C'mon let's help out Sensei!"

Both genin jump to their feet, just as Udon-Sensei's clone manages to tip the enemy off his feet. The man who hired them, falls on the ground unto his back, and in a panic starts trying to shoot at any one of the clones.

Iwabee falls on the man's legs, while Denki falls on his free arm.

Udon comes over and holds tightly unto the arm that has the device attached to it, making sure the man doesn't activate on them, at point zero range.

"Let me go! LET GO OF ME!" the man tries pushing against the boys, but he has the strength of a regular person.

"He's not even a shinobi, why's a non-shinobi causing this trouble, Sensei?" Iwabee demands.

"Denki, is it what I think it is?" Udon asks, tone grave and expression unreadable.

"Yes sir. But they wouldn't have gotten it from us or the Leaf – it's the same prototype Kara got their hands on three months ago."

"The one Konohamaro's team confronted?" Udon-Sensei says, narrowing his eyes. He turns to the man they have pinned to the floor. "Where did you get this? Was this mission a trap from the very start?"

The man's eyes gleam. "You're not getting anything out of me! You're no better than me, not anymore –!"

Without a warning Udon-Sensei whacks the man on the head, and he passes out.

"Alright, Denki do you know how to detach this thing from him, without unnecessary dangers?"

Denki examines the ninja-tech closely. "I think so Sensei."

"Good, do it. Iwabee, secure the prisoner as soon as Denki is done. I want both the weapon and the capture as safe to travel with as possible. We're taking him to Konoha with us."

"Yes sir!" Both genin reply.

"I'm going after Metal – he might be in trouble and he doesn't even know it. I'm leaving a clone with you to guard this place while you work." Udon makes a shadow clone and vanishes quickly.

"I'll stand guard outside." The clone says and leaves the tent, to be able to see if any more trouble approaches.

"Shit, Metal better be fine!" Iwabee snarls. "Or I'm taking off the 'piece' off this old fart!"

"Wahh Iwabee! Don't shake him or the device can go off!" Denki calls, paling.

Iwabee winces. "Sorry, sorry okay?! Sensei looked right serious, didn't he?"

"Of course he was!" Denki pushes his glasses up his nose, sweating as he does his best to safely take off the Techno-Nin from the unconscious civilian. "Why would a totally regular person have something like this?!"

"…You said something about that group Kara?" Iwabee recalls, frowning whilst binding the man's arms in a Rock Release ninjutsu.

"They stole weapons from The Scientific Ninja Tools Research Facility center. They armed a shinobi with it and Boruto's team had to fight him. Then that boy showed up –"

"I remember him! He ran off after a week or so from Lord Seventh, didn't he? Heard Boruto took it pretty bad." Iwabee tries to remember. "So this has something to do with those rogues then?"

"…Maybe. It's not the same." Denki grits his teeth, clicking and taking apart various pieces of the complicated looking device.

"How is this not the same?"

Denki replies with an ominous tone.

"It's a civilian this time."

* * *

okay next week we're back with Sarada -

Please be more respectful in the comments - some hate reviews popped up recently, and I'm really not planning to enable that. it's problematic erasing these things on this cite, so I'm half a mind of deleting this account and solely publishing on AO3

On a happier note - we're around half way through the fic! (at least part 1) so I'm excited!


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_

_Sustainability Stone Arc part 1_

Sarada showers after her morning practice with Cho-Cho, thinking of the Sealing Unit, when her day turns unexpected as soon as her feet leave the house.

_Poff!_

A small, pink, monkey with an unimpressed face scrunches up at Sarada.

"Sarada Uchiha?" it asks dully, and Sarada is surprised to realize it's male.

"Yes."

"Konohamaru-Sama sent me to summon you at once to the Hokage's office. Be there in ten."

"Why?" Sarada's pitch black eyes bore into the small creature.

The monkey opens his mouth as though to answer, then undoes his summoning.

_Poff_!

Sarada glares at the empty sidewalk where the monkey was.

"This one. I'll learn how to summon this one, and he will suffer." She vows, and makes her way to the direction of the Hokage Mountain.

_**Why am I being summoned? **_

Usually Sarada would have a vague idea of why something happens. She doesn't and that makes her nervous. She quickens her pace, outright running.

The chill air of the still early morning brushes her short pixie black hair in any which way, dancing with the wind without obscuring her vision due to its length.

She reaches the center of the village quickly, and it's just the right time of morning when people are getting around to where they need to be for the day and it's packed.

"Sarada-chan!" a shinobi hurries past her, in a flash of green and eyebrows.

"Lee-san." Sarada acknowledges.

They both stop to a halt, both of their chests breathing hard, having been running.

"I must tell you our training sessions will have to halt for a few days!" Lee says, clapping a hand on her shoulder as though he just told her the world is about to end and they won't be manufacturing anymore candy.

"Okay."

"It is not! However, _the spirit of youth is eternal!_"

"…"

_**Its youth, how is it eternal?**_

"We shall resume them quickly – least of all because Metal has returned to the village as well! And to motivate you through this difficult time – "

"It's really fine –"

" – I've got something special for my new star pupil!" he says proudly.

Sarada stares at him. No.

"I – I should go, I'm late." She quickly tries to escape.

"Yes, I'm needed elsewhere too. But hold onto your nose and make every breath count because it'll change your life! Expect it when I return!" Lee says with gusto and his smile shines.

"Have I ever mentioned I'm allergic to clothes of a certain fabric – "

"Have a youthful day!" he flashes out of sight, and Sarada knows it's not the body flicker jutsu but that Rock Lee is just that fast.

She blinks dumbly, because somehow, she should've seen it coming sooner.

Shaking her head she hurries on, looking out for a purple head on the way – maybe she'll risk being late and run all the way to their meeting place?

"Sarada!"

Relieved, Sarada pauses again. "Sumire, I was looking for you."

"Same!" Sumire breaths a little more evenly than Sarada, and Sarada resolutely tells herself it's because the purple-haired girl ran less. Her braid reaching her waist, the girl calls "I can't make practice this morning!"

"Oh. I can't either. I've got a meeting with Seventh."

Sumire's eyes sharpen with interest. "Me too."

Sarada raises her eyebrow. "We're both called in for a meeting."

"Looks like it." Sumire looks ahead, her deep purple eyes darkening as she watches the Hokage building from afar contemplatively.

"We should go." Sarada says, and both genin flash forward together, to the same destination.

As she's a shinobi, Sarada finds this intriguing, but not that unexpected.

She should've – because it gets stranger.

They arrive to the entrance, and go inside the first floor where the genin administrative missions' desk is. There they meet –

"Wasabi-chan, Namida-chan?" Sumire spots her teammates quickly. "You too?"

"Yep. Figured you too, so we waited a bit." Wasabi popped a bubblegum, her arms crossed across her chest.

Namida looks green. "A-Are we in trouble?" she asks, brown eyes teary.

"All of us?" Wasabi rolls her eyes. "Nah. Come on, let's get this over with."

The four kunoichi go up the stairwell leading directly to the highest floor where the Hokage's offices are (since only shinobi with the right classifications can go up to the levels of Chunin and Jonin, a separate staircase was made so they can avoid the levels they aren't allowed on).

Outside of the Hokage's office, they see two more familiar faces.

The two boys' eyes widen when they see them.

"Alright, this is totally weird." Inojin says. "Even weirder than Iwabee refusing to brag about a C-Rank mission. This day is strange."

"Are we supposed to go in together?" Namida wonders, nervously tugging on her pigtails.

Shikadai shrugs; his green eyes bored and sharp all at once.

"Let's find out." Sarada calls, and pushes the doors open. She hates being late anywhere, and the monkey did say ten minutes – which was about twenty minutes ago.

The rest follow inside behind her. In the office Moegi, Konohamaru, and Hanabi stand in a group, Shikamaru stands by the window with a tired looking expression and his trusted clipboard, and Naruto Uzumaki sits behind the desk.

"Good morning." The Seventh Hokage says and nods them all inside.

"Now that everybody's here, we can start." Shikamaru-San says, as Hanabi closes the door behind the genin.

Shikadai raises his hand. "Sorry, but Cho-Cho's not here."

"The hospital is overbooked at the moment, which means that most of the Akimichi clan didn't get approved for action yet after their stay there five weeks ago– or at least the paperwork didn't go through the system yet. Which is why Cho-Cho Akimichi can't take part in this mission." Shikamaru says calmly, shrugging.

Inojin shakes his head at Sarada, in what she assumes is his way of whining about troublesome teammates, while being too lazy to say it out loud.

If Sarada knows anything about Cho-Cho, it's that her whining about this will be endless.

_**Mission. Has there been a mass breakout of cats?**_

"Alright, you six are going as back up security to an SSS-class protection mission." Naruto Uzumaki says gravely; chin resting on his hands resting on top of his desk.

Sarada, Shikadai, Inojin, Sumire, Wasabi, and Namida stand straight backed in the Hokage's office, either trembling from excitement (Wasabi) to just trembling (Namida) to being too shocked for any reaction (Everybody else).

"SSS-Class?!" Shikadai calls, eyes wide, looking over at his dad. "You're joking –_ow_!"

Inojin steps off Shikadai's foot with a smirk. "He means, we'd be honored, Lord Seventh."

Sarada glances back at Konohamaru, standing next to the two jonin kunoichies.

He nods at her in encouragement and she resists rolling her eyes.

_**A little heads up would've been appreciated, Sensei.**_

Still, there's no denying this is a chance to prove herself.

Namide, shaking and trying to look as small as possible, is standing very pale and Sumire grabs her arm quickly so she doesn't knock over everyone in the line.

"S –S-S-S-s-S-class…" she calls shakily, looking faint.

"That's too many asses, Namida-chan." Inojin informs her, grinning.

Next to Namida, Wasabi is chanting "Yes!" over and over again, her fist in the air, looking absolutely thrilled.

"Ah – haha." Seventh laughs awkwardly, watching their varied reactions, burdened.

Sumire's face is serious when she raises her arm in the air.

"Yes, Sumire?" Naruto nods at her.

"Hokage-Sama, I have a concern; wouldn't it be strategically wiser to send someone better equipped to handle something like this? We are, after all, genin."

Wasabi seems ready to launch herself at her teammate. Naruto seems to approve her question however, and answers her.

"Let me assure you, that you will be joining Iwa shinobi with plenty of experience, not to mention Moegi and Hanabi are both Leaf jonin and will be joining you on this mission."

Sarada turns to send her sensei a cold look, but Konohamaru quickly looks away, pretending he can't see it.

"I'm afraid there are no available higher ranking shinobi at the moment – and everyone else has their own missions to complete. You six are sent as extra security measures, that is it. You follow your orders, and you stay out of the way when needed."

"Iwa shinobi?" Sarada frowns. "Why would they reach out for our help, when they're one of the great five shinobi villages, Lord Seventh?"

"Iwakagure, the Hidden Stone Village, are stretched thin themselves right now." Shikamaru-san says. "Let me say this right now; several parts of this mission are classified, even from you. You'll be told what you need to in order to do your jobs, but that's it."

There's a tense silence in the office, as the six genin friends share glances.

"Look everyone, this is a task not under either of the two villages, but a joined one of the Shinobi Union Alliance. And it's important it goes well. You'll be guarding something historic and powerful as we've decided to transfer it to a more secure location. We have no confirmation that anyone will interfere, however there is a third party we're sure will be interested in doing just that. That is why we want you alert, and at your best. If there's anything, anything at all, you aren't sure about, you should ask the captains of this operation – Moegi and Hanabi."

Naruto hands over a mission scroll to Hanabi.

_**It's gold, in color. I've never seen a gold mission scroll before.**_

Moegi claps her hands together. "Alright, you six are ready for this?!"

"Yes!" they all call out at the same time.

"Good." Moegi nods. "Seventh, Shikamaru-San, Konohamaru." She nods in farewell, and opens the door."Let's go, no point in wasting time."

"Good luck." Konohamaru calls after her, as the genin start piling out of the office. When Sarada passes by him he says "Seriously good luck Sarada – be careful, _kore_!"

_**If you're so worried, why aren't you coming with me?**_

"Right." She closes the door after herself, and walks after a still trembling Namida, who seemed to have forgotten how to walk in any other way that doesn't make her look like a frozen popsicle.

* * *

"What the hell is everyone else doing right now?!" Shikadai bursts uncharacteristically as soon as there are only genin within hearing distance.

"What do you mean?" Inojin asks, glancing at his teammate.

"There's no way they would assign us this mission if they had any other choice – so where are the other shinobi right now? How come all the ANBU's, Jonin and Chunin are so busy?"

"A bit of a coincidence, isn't it? That all of our shinobi are busy right when all of Iwa's are as well." Sarada points out, remembering how Shikamaru-san danced around this point earlier.

Shikadai blinks at her. "You're right."

Sumire seems to contemplate this. "Well, they did let slip that this is a joined thing going on with the Union Alliance – maybe this is going on in all of the five great nations?"

All five stare at her.

"What the hell is going on?" Wasabi demands. "Is there some international emergency they're trying to keep quiet?"

"Wasabi you're always coming up with conspiracy theories." Namida complains, visibly on edge. "Please stop, I'm nervous enough."

"Somehow that sounds plausible right now." Shikadai frowns.

"Hey, let's head out!" Moegi and Hanabi return with the proper paperwork to leave the village, and the group follows them to the front gates.

"Guys! GUUUUUUYS!"

The group pauses.

Shikadai winces as Inojin sighs. "Here we go." Inojin says.

Cho-Cho runs their way, looking highly indignant.

Moegi-Sensei looks very uncomfortable.

Before Cho-Cho reaches them she's already yelling "- _This is so unfair_ -!"

"Cho-Cho, there's nothing I can do – you aren't cleared for duty –" Moegi raises her hands up, trying to calm her down.

"Five weeks! I've been discharged five weeks ago! This is stupid!"

"I don't make the rules, and it was flu season recently, so hospitals are still slow with their paperwork – you'll have to sit this one out." Moegi pets her on the head comfortingly. "Come on, let's go."

"I wish I was you right now Cho-Cho, this will be so troublesome!" Shikadai tells her, yawning, and goes off after Moegi, and Team Hanabi, and the three Genin girls.

"How can you leave me behind?! This is stupid!" Cho-Cho stumps her foot.

"Sorry Chubbers." Inojin calls, and then runs away quickly.

"Don't call me Chubbers!"

"Bye Cho-Cho, don't you dare skip practice while I'm on this mission." Sarada tells her sharply, before going too.

"Some friends the lot of you! All three of you stink!" they hear her scream.

"All three of us?" Shikadai asks, glancing at Sarada.

"I told her to train." She tells them.

"That'll do it." Inojin pops a bubble with his gum.

* * *

_Yesyesyesyes! I've been building up for this for a while! Are you ready for it?!_

_Also - thank you for all of the support! For now I'll keep updating here, since there are a lot of you who really want me to! But for the record my username at AO3 is SheRipper as well, so you can find me there too._

_And to all the many guests and friends, the site doesn't let me reply to the reviews very comfortably (and to guests not at all) so just wanted to tell you - THANK YOU! I read and appreciate everything people write on my stories! **Son'O'Man**, your comments have been especially engrossed and I wish I could reply in full, but just thank you for caring so much about this story!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12_

_Sustainability Stone Arc part 2_

Being led to a mission half blind set the six Genin into a nervous tension. Shinobi work can easily turn sour, and they were not only not shown the full picture, but encouraged not to ask needless questions.

Konoha's ninja made their way quickly from tree branch to tree branch, a quick flash of movement to the regular person who might be looking from the road for travelers below them.

As far as Moegi was willing to explain when they set out, "We're heading to Amegakure! Don't fall behind!"

Inojin and Shikadai answered "Yes Sensei!" with accustomed ease.

They took a turn west out of the village, and have been making their way hastily for twenty minutes.

Shikadai appears nonchalant, but Sarada knows him well enough to know he's more sharply tuned in than normal for this mission.

Sumire, Sarada notices, is particularly tense. It's a subtle thing, but after training with the girl for several weeks now, she can see it.

Wasabi catches Sarada's glance and winks, smirking.

Sarada doesn't smirk back, but her eyes gleam with excitement, she knows, and Wasabi's smirk turns wilder.

_**I should be more guarded about this mission.**_

Sarada scoffs; who's she kidding? This is the first thing in weeks which are remotely interesting in her job as a ninja. Absently, she scratches at a scar on her wrist – cat claws are the worst. _**I'll leave the worrying for Sumire and Shikadai…and the panic for Namida.**_

Sarada watches the brown haired girl with sympathy. She does well to appear brave, but it's clear she's gritting her teeth in fear. At that moment Sarada applauses Namida in her mind for deciding to face life as a shinobi with such a soft personality.

"It's getting even greener." Inojin hums, looking around appreciatively and Sarada knows he's committing it to memory to later draw.

The forests tend to dwindle as they approach different countries during missions.

"We're still six hours away." Hanabi Hyuga tells them.

The genin all readjust their stamina upon hearing that, and settle into a steady group pace.

"Listen, if it happens that we need to separate during this mission," Moegi starts, her voice loud and clear even over the wind rustling through their ears as they swoosh by. "Hanabi and her three genin will go one way, and my team and Sarada-chan will head the other way, understood?"

"Yes!" some of them call; the others just nod, panting due to the prolonged run.

Sarada herself is slightly out of breath, although less so than she would've been before she added so much Taijutsu practice on her plate. Then again, her plate was pretty empty, she bitterly acknowledges. She notices Shikadai and Namida are particularly tired.

"You kids are already out of breath? No stamina!" Moegi scolds them.

Inojin looks flustered and Shikadai rubs the back of his head, embarrassed.

Sarada notes that both boys, surprisingly, care about their Sensei's opinion of them. Sarada finds herself with newfound respect towards Moegi-Sensei; having gone to the academy with both Inojin and Shikadai she knows most teachers were unable to elicit any motivation out of either of them at times.

"Is there a reason for this strategy?" Sumire asks, frowning. Her breathing is heavy but steady and she seems to have balanced the long strain.

Hanabi spares her a glance. "I understand the need to process a situation is vital in your training, however the Hokage did press you should refrain from inquiring too deeply into this mission, Sumire." Hanabi says gently, but firmly nonetheless.

Sumire frowns. "But Sensei, we need to at least understand our fighting formations and the strategic logic behind them, if we are called to act in this mission." She insists.

Moegi glances back at her, and Sarada isn't sure if it's in approval or disapproval.

"Alright, that much we can divulge." Hanabi agrees, long brown hair flying behind her as she flashes gracefully from tree to tree. "As a team our teamwork is balanced and most practiced here, so it should keep figuring out how to fight together simple in an emergency with the least amount of unknown variables."

"Exactly." Moegi nods. "And Sarada should fit well with our formation as well." Moegi studies Sarada. "Do you mind being on the offensive? I remember your strength at the Chunin Exams – we'd only need to adjust a little around your abilities to substitute Cho-Cho."

Sarada stares at the two Jonin looking at her and her excitement turns chilly and rolls up to her throat, making it harder to breath. "Of course. Am I restricted to physical strength?"

Moegi rolls her eyes, but it doesn't seem annoyed, but rather fond. "Of course not! It's a battle! Just figure out the best move when it's time." She calls confidently, her orange hair bobbing up and down in their rabbit buns as she moves fluidly from tree to tree, barely out of breath at all.

Nervous she'll be the only one having to figure things out as they go on this mission, Sarada gulps and nods. "Yes!"

"You were going to tell us that much anyways, weren't you?" Sumire asks, somewhat embarrassed.

Hanabi grins proudly. "Yes, if you hadn't asked us, we'd have just gone on explaining all of this right away."

Sumire sends her teacher an apologetic look. "Sorry."

"What we learn, how hard we train, and our orders; that's what leads us through a mission." Hanabi slows down. "But it's our instincts that save our lives when we're on the field." She pets Sumire on the head kindly. "You were right to follow the feeling telling you this is something worth insisting on." Hanabi resumes her pace easily.

Namida and Wasabi each elbow Sumire from either side in camaraderie and she grins, sheepishness gone.

"Alright, try not to slow down the pace here, we're expected within half a day!" Moegi calls loudly, again easily overheard by all of them.

"Yes Sensei!"

"Yes, Moegi-Sensei!"

* * *

"Five minutes break!" Moegi barks and all six Genin collapse in unison off the tree to the plump soft grass.

"My feet are killing me." Namida sighs, relaxing her shoulders.

"This mission is going to be so hard!" Shikadai complains, his arm pulled over his face.

"Why do you figure?" Inojin asks, trying to catch his breath.

"Because just getting there is already exhausting!" Shikadai grumbles.

"What did you expect, we're literally travelling to another country in under a day – " Wasabi rolls her shoulders, trying to ease tension.

Sarada tunes them out, blinking at the soft sky. Clouds upon clouds are blocking the sun, but she thinks it's already well into the afternoon. They set out during early morning.

A voice next to her draws her attention back.

"Sarada, Konohamaru said you're pretty good with analyzing situations under pressure – we're counting on you."

Sarada looks up at Moegi. "Right." Her stomach clenches even more.

"Should you be adding to the pressure she's already feeling?" Hanabi asks, raising an eyebrow at Moegi.

"It's not pressure, it's good nerves – the kind that reminds you what's at stake and keeps you alive when bad stuff happens." Moegi shrugs, claps Sarada on the shoulder encouragingly, and rises.

"Good nerves." Sarada repeats, unsure.

"Don't worry, she'll be right there for you when it counts, she's just trying to prepare you." Hanabi says kindly.

"Thank you, Hanabi-Sensei." Sarada says, trying to calm down. _**I just haven't been on a real mission in a while, that's all.**_ She tells herself.

"Oi New-Chubbers," Inojin lightly kicks her leg from where he's sitting, leaning back on a rock. "You know we've got your back, right?" he tells her.

"Of course." She answers at once, but her nerves inexplicably decelerate. She shoots him a grateful look.

"Hey you guys want some cucumber water while you're at it?" Moegi calls, standing over them.

The Genin all look up at her, perplexed.

She taps her watch. "Five minutes are up."

They all groan.

"We need to hurry." Hanabi seconds, and, still grumbling, they all make it to their feet and quickly climb the nearest trees.

Rain country doesn't look as nice as it sounds. The forests thin and the trees turn bare and wary looking, and a constant drizzle accompanies them as they pass village after village of bare boned stone houses and struggling people.

It's after they've had their lunch break and resumed their way for a couple hours more before they come across their first city – or at least a more populated and advanced village.

"My glasses are all wet." Sarada says. Her glasses have become very difficult to see with, after several raindrops fell on them through the hood and stained the glass.

"It's been raining for hours." Shikadai says, tugging his water-coat hood further over his head.

"Amegakure." Moegi nods at him. "If it doesn't rain for two days in a row – the people of Ame consider that a draught!"

"The rain gets stronger in the hidden village itself." Hanabi tells them. "Make sure to account for that when you're planning your moves."

"Yes!" the Genin all call, and Sarada notes it in her head.

"Will we really enter the village itself, Sensei?" Wasabi asks, her hood down uncaringly and her hand combing the water drops from her short hair. "After all, we're ninja from a foreign country and they're also a shinobi village."

Both Jonin ignore her and she rolls her eyes. Clearly, they won't be getting an answer to her question.

"Wonder what that says about your instincts, Wasabi-chan." Inojin says innocently.

Sarada and Shikadai smile.

Wasabi hisses at him, much like she sometimes does when her ninjutsu is active. "Up yours, Yamanaka." She declares.

Namida and Sumire giggle, trying to pretend that they're not.

"Hey, you're my teammates!" Wasabi grumbles. "Hey – oh, wow!" they take a turn and really see the first city of Amegakure.

The dark red towers easily towered the trees around them, high up as though attempting to reach beyond the rain. Blue, green, and red tubes go all around them, making them seem like factories of some sorts. There were newer and older looking ones, spread across the territory before them. Between them there are advanced looking buildings and houses, all dark tones in color, keeping with the colors of the towers.

"Those are hella bitchn'." Wasabi notes, eyes wide at the strange type of architecture they've never come across before.

"Those are hella high." Inojin says, cranking his neck. "It's giving me a headache to look all the way up."

"Yeah, so try not to." Moegi grins. "The distance messes up your head. Many shinobi tried keeping an eye on the tops of these towers and ended up dizzy-headed and were taken easily by surprise."

"So –" Shikadai's immediate worry is stopped quickly by Moegi who seems to have seen it coming.

"So luckily we've got Hanabi-san with us."

Hanabi grins at them, her blank purple eyes crinkling. "Leave it to me."

Namida smiles with relief at her teacher. "You can see all the way up those towers, Sensei?"

"Mm." Hanabi nods reassuringly.

"Don't underestimate Konoha's Hyuga clan kids!" Moegi tells them grandly, and Hanabi grins. "Because they don't like it!"

Sarada isn't able to smother her snort of laughter, not having expected the jonin's snark. Namida, Wasabi, and Sumire seem to be struggling with their laughter as well, trying to hide it behind their hands from their teacher. Shikadai and Inojin both smile, not looking surprised.

Hanabi folds her arms across her chest and raises her eyebrow at Moegi's smug smirk.

"Proving my point there, Hanabi-San."

Hanabi shakes her head, showing a small smile of her own. "Come on everybody, we're cutting through the city." She takes off and the six Genin stumble trying to keep up with her sudden speed, as Moegi easily takes up the rear and follows behind them.

The city seems vibrant and active, despite the morbid architecture and constant rain, as people bustle around without sparring them a glance.

Sarada tugs on her hood, making sure it's hiding the symbol on her headband. They're probably allowed here, but the people would still likely react badly to shinobi from other countries so deep in their territory.

It's half an hour later, and they've crossed through the city, flashed by two other small villages, and reached an area that frankly, seemed rather bare-boned from…everything except rain and earth.

Hanabi-sensei stops and glances at Moegi-sensei who nods.

"Two hours and _THIS_ is the place you picked to stop for rest?!" Shikadai demands, mud sticking up to his thighs and raincoat drenched.

"Alright, fifteen minutes west of this spot is The Village Hidden in the Rain." Moegi calls authoritatively, and Sarada is again surprised at how easy it is to catch her words even under the heavy rain (it has been raining harder and harder the more they moved inside of Rain country).

"As Hanabi-san and I have planned, we've managed to arrive five hours early!" Moegi says without an ounce of shame.

The Genin all stare at her.

Inojin whistles, blinking shrewdly at his teacher. "I can't feel my legs." He tells her.

"You'll live." She doesn't even blink. "Now, since you six have never before been part of such a high profile mission, nor intermixed your teamwork once you've graduated the academy, we've decided we needed to prepare you a little first."

"Prepare how, Sensei?" Sumire asks, glancing between the two Jonin.

Hanabi jumps away from the group, facing them with her unreadable expression.

"Oh no…" Namida flinches and her eyes water, and even Wasabi looks hesitant.

"We told you the preferable outcome – in any given situation we're forced to separate, we've decided on the teams." Moegi calls, drawing some of the attention back to her, although none of Hanabi's three students turned their backs on their teacher. Moegi gives the three kunoichi an approving grin. "However, it's possible we'll be forced to separate without a say with who we end up with. For this purpose, we'll now randomly group and regroup you six, and since we're trying to ready you for a worst-case-scenario we'll assume neither Hanabi-san nor I will be present."

Sarada's nerves calm a little, with how crazy this day has been; at least they aren't throwing six genin into an SSS-Rank mission without prepping them a bit for what they might end up facing there, no matter the urgency.

She nods sharply, and a small fountain of water slides down her hood. Sarada grimaces, hoping not to forget about the rain everywhere during the fight. It reminds her of her fight in their field trip at the Hidden Mist Village, and how she did end up copying a water release jutsu from her opponent who stole one of the seven swords.

"Looks like Sarada's up for it, good! The rest of you, either step up or go quiver in fear in the corner." Moegi calls cheerfully, but no one moves.

Sarada hears Shikadai's mutter "There are no corners here." But even he doesn't take the out offered.

"Hanabi-san is the enemy, taking your random group by surprise. Make do with whatever you've got. I'll add little surprises along the way, as the environment factor." Moegi tells them, and after a breath she calls "Shikadai, Namida, and Sarada, GO!"

_**They really went for as random as it gets.**_

"Yes!" the three call, and move to face Hanabi-sensei, moving closer than the rest.

"Good luck you three!" Inojin calls easily. "You'll need it!"

Sarada ignores him as Wasabi barks "You can do it, Namida!"

Shikadai gives her a calculating look, before moving it to Namida and Sarada realizes instantly that despite the unexpectedness of the grouping he's determined to quickly come up with a suitable formation.

Sarada leaves Namida to watch Hanabi-sensei like a hawk, and makes sure to keep Moegi-sensei in her peripheral vision – who knows what her 'surprises' will manifest as.

"Any advice, Namida?" Shikadai asks, looking grimly at Hanabi.

"When facing Hanabi-sensei?" Namida asks, her voice high and nervous for what's to come. "Yeah, run."

Shikadai turns to Sarada and yells to be overheard above the rain. "Think you can get close enough to try and distort her Byakugan with a genjutsu?"

Sarada blinks at him, dumbfounded.

_**Holy crap, can that be done with a strong enough Sharingan? Can Dad do that?**_

"You shouldn't let your enemy in on your plans, Shikadai." Hanabi's voice washes over the three genin through the rain gently, and before the words even finish singing Shikadai's thrown into the ground, splashing mud everywhere and yelling. Where he stood, Hanabi stands with veins popping around her eyes and her hand still extended with the move she used to throw Shikadai.

There isn't a moment to acknowledge the action, there isn't a second to understand the order of events, before Namida's mouth opens and she's taking a breath in –

Sarada's heart jumps with hope – Namida seems to be working on autopilot with the speed with which she saw it coming.

"Don't think so Nami-chan." Hanabi's fond words contradict with the harsh hand gripping Namida's jaw and nose forcing her mouth to stay shut, and it's then that Sarada sees just _a little faster –_ there's no way she's strong enough to use the Sharingan against Hanabi, but she saw Shikadai being thrown with the Sharingan – and she sees the flex of muscles and the familiar stance and knows she has three seconds during which Hanabi is going to throw Namida through the air as well for Sarada to act.

Knowing she doesn't have time for hand signs she throws three shuriken, bending the lower two with her thumb like she's been practicing.

Namida is flying through the air and Hanabi doesn't even look Sarada's way as she reaches out to stop the shuriken with a kunai in her hand, when Namida's shout reaches them and Sarada falls, ears tearing, and Hanabi flinches.

"_Hhhhhhhhhha!_" Namida, her mouth no longer restricted, aimed her jutsu in their direction from the air and ended up including Sarada in the attack.

Sarada blinks, as the world goes silent. Hanabi blocks the straight shuriken with ease, but Sarada misses the sound of the metal clashing. Sarada's heart quickens with fear until she remembers the feeling from her academy days.

_**Namida's jutsu. **_

Relived her hearing will return in a few seconds, Sarada watches with confusion as Hanabi doesn't even glance at the two shuriken who collided behind her back and one _swooshes_ to her neck dangerously. Not able to hear the shuriken, presumably, just like Sarada who can't hear anything, Hanabi still dodges fluently and the shuriken passes her. Hanabi sees Sarada's incredulous look and grins, tapping her eyes lightly.

_**That shuriken was aimed at her blind spot – does the Byakugan really have such a crazy field of sight?**_

Hanabi then hops as a shadow stretches beneath her feet, trying to capture her, before throwing the kunai in her hand softly behind her to where Shikadai is presumably.

Before Sarada can attempt to figure out how to fight without her hearing, she feels a foot on her back and she yells, before her chest hits the muddy earth and Hanabi has her arm twisted behind her and a knee keeping her down.

The Hanabi before her vanishes in a _PUFF_ of smoke, and Sarada knows the real one is the one pinning her down.

Her ears are ringing painfully, but finally sound returns to her, as she hears the _pitter-patter_ of the rain again.

"Kill Namida, or I'll kill Sarada." Hanabi's clear voice calls and Sarada has to wiggle on the mud to catch Shikadai's shocked expression, where he freezes mid hand sign.

"Stop!" Moegi-sensei's voice rang across the clearing, and the pressure keeping Sarada down vanishes.

Sarada gets up slowly, rubbing her ears.

Shikadai, Namida and Sarada share looks, unable to believe how badly that went. They're better than this, after all.

Moegi gathers them and says "Shikadai, you did well asking Namida for advice on how to approach the threat seeing how she has the most knowledge about Hanabi-san, but then you ignored her, which was a mistake." She tells him.

"She said to run away." Shikadai argues.

"Yes, because Hanabi-san is above your rank, and when you face someone much stronger than you on the field you don't risk letting you teammates die and the mission fail when you can instead attempt for a distraction and evasion." She says without pause. "Namida, you started well but then lost your concentration and, panicked, and allowed one of your own teammates to suffer under your jutsu."

Namida sinks inside of her raincoat sadly. "Sorry Sarada." She apologizes.

Moegi doesn't let Sarada answer. "Sarada, your reaction was late, but the shuriken you used did help you analyze the enemy better. However, am I right in assuming you quickly lost all whereabouts of your teammates during the dual?"

Sarada grits her teeth but nods.

"And so you got caught and could've easily been used against your own team." Meogi looks at the three muddy genin. "Next round!" She calls.

Sarada, Namida, and Shikadai retreat dejectedly, and Wasabi, Inojin, and Sumire head carefully to where Hanabi-sensei is.

"Shikadai, Sumire, and Wasabi." Moegi says clearly, and Inojin gapes at her.

"But I haven't –"

"You three have had way too long to assume you'd be the next team, which means you've all been thinking about how to work with each other and that defeats the idea of this exercise." Moegi shrugs and ushers a pale Shikadai forward again.

"GO!"

It doesn't get better, until their fourth round with Sumire, Inojin, and Sarada when just as they are starting to hold their own – Inojin's paintings and ink doing their best to cover Hanabi's powerful vision, Sarada distracting her movements by throwing shuriken left and right causing Hanabi to either block them or perform a Hyuga jutsu that protects her all around, letting Sumire slowly aim précised water attacks that Hanabi can't ignore - when Moegi 'surprises' them with an earthquake.

"Don't let anything surprise you!" Moegi scolds, while Sarada makes her way over, carrying boots heavy with mud. "Accept that you can't control everything and _use it_ to the best of your abilities!"

After that, Moegi does her best to show them what she means – sometimes switching places with Hanabi-sensei, other times summoning nin-animals to neutrally pester either side of the battle, etc.

At first it goes badly – the six genin are beaten one by one repeatedly in the constant rain coming down hard on them – but after several rounds all six of their eyes _blaze_ even as muddy and wet as they are outside and inside of their raincoats.

They are ninja, after all, and they can all tell they are gaining experience through this is something none of them ever attempted before.

When Moegi calls "Sarada, Sumire – GO!" they don't even blink despite it being the first time they only have two in a group.

Both girls share a quick look before jumping on Hanabi – neither wanted to wait to be attacked again. Unable to keep up the Sharingan so much, nor having stamina to use ninjutsu so many times in such a short amount of time, Sarada ends up relying on shurikenjutsu and taijutsu (_**thank you Lee-San**_).

The others too, slowly realize that exhausted, in an emergency, they won't be able to move carelessly either and so everyone fights passionately, but without the attacks that take the most steam out of them.

Sarada runs out of weapons twice, and has started at some point to tie them with wires before tossing them, so they'll easily come back to her. She refuses to shuffle in the mud again in search of something to attack with as Moegi-sensei scolds her for not thinking ahead.

"Sumire, Wasabi, Inojin, Shikadai – GO!"

Mid-attack, Sarada fluently jumps back, clearing the field. They're gotten used to being interrupted without warning.

By the end they have all been thrown so randomly together over and over again, Sarada feels a good kind of exhaustion overcome her – the type that you're proud of, because you gained from it.

"Alright, that's much better!" Moegi calls. "We've got a room with a shower waiting for us in the village – you six will clean up and we'll head over!"

"Yes Sensei!" the genin shout back, bruised, bleeding, out of breath, and content.

As they make their way, it doesn't feel like going into a dangerous mission anymore for Sarada. It feels like going in to take a final exam, already tired but ready, having just finished a practice test with perfect score, and you know that no matter how much longer you'd have had to study, this is as ready as you'll ever be.

* * *

_Check out this long chapter! Plz keep supporting me and tell me what you think! _


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter 13_

_Sustainability Stone Arc part 3_

"Here." Moegi shoves food pills at Sarada, while Namida's taking a quick shower.

Her chakra depleted, Sarada eats them quickly. When all six Genin are relatively clean and their chakra replenished, Moegi and Hanabi lead them to a watchtower guarding the Hidden Rain Village. They can just spot the tall dark towers in the distance where the village must be.

There, instead of meeting Ame shinobi, they are met with a group of Iwa shinobi with rocks on their headbands.

"Oh right, I forgot we're here to help Iwa shinobi." Sarada blinks, readjusting her glasses – they keep slipping down her nose because of the rain.

"They're carrying something." Shikadai's sharp eyes draw the rest of the Genin to the parcel that's being handed over by Ame shinobi at the watchtower to the Iwa group.

"Shikadai." For the first time, Moegi-Sensei's voice is serious and flat.

Shikadai's eyes narrow. Clearly he's not happy being told not to try and analyze anything here, but he doesn't argue with the silent order.

"Hey!" an Iwa shinobi with two giant shuriken on his back, likely on patrol, flashes behind them. "Identify!"

"328 escort backup. Konoha." Hanabi calls calmly, unsurprised by the shinobi's appearance.

After their training session, Sarada seriously doubts anyone's ever snuck up on Hanabi Hyuga.

_**Note to self: never mess with Bortuo's aunt in any way.**_

"Show me your papers!" the shinobi demands.

Hanabi-sensei deliberately takes out the golden scroll from her pocket.

"There are no papers for this one, so if we passed can you stop fussing and let us through?" Moegi-Sensei calls easily, but her stance is battle-ready.

The shinobi takes a moment, and then nods sharply. "Just on time, we're ten from departure." After yelling that, he flashes away once more.

"Good, we missed the boring part." Moegi-Sensei shrugs, causing Hanabi-sensei to chuckle. "I'll greet the Squad Leader on our behalf. You should stay out of sight until then."

Both Jonin exchange nods and Moegi flashes from sight.

There's a beat of waiting as the rain drops loudly on the tree branches taking the brunt force of the cloudy skies.

Shikadai raises his hand up. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Hanabi-Sensei nods slightly, eyes focusing on nothing and everything.

Shikadai walks away from sight, and Sarada narrows her eyes on Inojin's quick glance at his Teammate's direction.

"I've got to go too, Hanabi-sensei." Sarada calls casually, internally smirking when Inojin's painting hand twitches – his secret tell.

Hanabi-sensei glances at her. "You as well, Sarada-chan?"

Sarada shrugs, looking sheepish. "All this rain, you know?"

Hanabi sighs. "Go, but quickly. We're moving soon."

"Yes!" she makes sure to appear to be headed in a different direction from Shikadai, only to quickly make her way to him as soon as she's far enough out of sight.

Static sounds reach her ears above the _pitter-patter_ of the rain.

"Damn." Shikadai's voice mutters, too preoccupied with the device in his hands to notice Sarada until she's right in front of him, folding her arms over her chest disapprovingly.

"Seriously?" she asks, wondering how Shikadai even graduated the academy sometimes.

Shikadai jumps, green eyes jumping up to her black ones and widening.

"Pervert."

Sarada blushes. "_I am not!_ I knew you were up to something! I just can't believe you're ditching an SSS-rank mission to play that game!"

Shikadai's expression clears in understanding and he looks annoyed. "How'd you know?"

"Inojin's face." Sarada doesn't explain further – she doesn't need to. Inojin's clear expression can hide a lot, but Sarada knows him well and knows all his tells by now. Perceptive as Shikadai is, Sarada's sure he knows them too.

"But also I know you, and as soon as your sensei is out of view you made a move. Then saying it's to the bathroom you made sure Hanabi-sensei wouldn't check up on you and see what you're doing with her Byakugan… It wasn't difficult to figure out."

Shikadai waves the game the boys in her year at the academy used to play all the time and grumbles "Fine. And I'm not playing, I'm using it to communicate with Denki back at home."

"How?" Sarada glances at the game curiously.

"He tired to explain it…" Shikadai rubs the back of his head, annoyed.

Sarada smirks. "Too complicated for you?"

"Up yours, Uchiha. Anyways, I think the signal's too weak." He shows her the broken image on the screen of a frozen Denki.

"I remember Boruto used to run around the courtyard pulling an antenna out of this thing and yelling about a boss, looking stupid." Sarada says, remembering how some of the tech at Orochimaru's lab had strange looking antennas like that too – when she went searching for her dad with Seventh and Cho-Cho. Although, Sarada knows better than to mention underground labs by strange individuals casually, even to her friend.

Shikadai snaps his fingers. "Of course!" he pulls out an antenna from the side all the way up and Denki's image comes to life.

"- just pull it out it should help the connection -!"

"Yeah I just did, can you hear us Denki?" Shikadai asks, moving the game upwards and Sarada assumes Denki can see her as well.

Denki nods. "Yep. So what's going on? I said to use this for emergencies!"

"I need you to look for things Amegakure might be hiding that are extremely valuable or might need guarding."

Sarada stares at him.

"It's probably not a person but they could be pretending its some small package to hide the real mark."

Denki raises his eyebrow. "I can't promise you anything like that will come up in a search, Shikadai. I mean, Rain country only recently started keeping records and if it's really valuable they wouldn't catalog it – they'll probably hide its existence from the other villages if they can."

"Yeah well, this they didn't – or anyways, now the Allied forces know about it for sure." Shikadai concludes.

"Alright… I'll check."

"Thanks." Shikadai shits off the game device and meets Sarada's stoic glare.

"We should hurry before it's weird."

"It's already weird. What are you doing?"

"I just want to know, alright? I didn't sign up to be a blind soldier – they shouldn't ask that of us."

"We're ninja." Sarada reminds him slowly. "We follow orders."

"Look I'll still complete the mission obviously! But aren't you curious?" he baits, knowing that as strict as Sarada appears she's got curiosity to spare.

Sarada shrugs. "Better hurry, you've been to the bathroom for a long time." She reminds him.

Shikadai blenches. "Right." And returns to the group.

Sarada leans against a tree trunk for a minute before taking a rounder route to reach their group so it appears they've returned from different directions.

Moegi turns at the rustle Sarada's coat makes pushing against the bushes. "Now that we're all here, let's head out! Keep your heads down and your ears open for any new command from myself or Hanabi-san!"

The eight Konoha shinobi join a large group of tense Iwa shinobi, some of which nod at the two Leaf Jonin in acknowledgment and that's about all the greeting they get before a very mustached man takes charge of the crowd and directs them.

"Unit 328 will now turn to mobile transport stage!" he calls grandly, voice shooting through the air above the rain. "Main forces at center and Sensory team take the rear! I want teams 2 and 3 each on west and east patrols and lookouts within the forest!" as he talks bulks of shinobi flash away to their positions. "Up front my team and barrier team! And between rear and west I want team 1 and backup – if any line of outer defense falls you'll compensate! Let's go!"

The area clears quickly as they follow Moegi and Hanabi, standing right between the west patrols and the rear sensory team. A little ahead of them they watch the main forces (along with whatever it is they're supposed to be guarding) and the front teams must be somewhere ahead.

"Hello, it looks like we'll be working alongside each other." A tall Iwa shinobi with a brown flak jacket a bit different then the Leaf standard one introduces himself. "Hero, I'm in charge of team 1."

"Moegi and Hanabi, heads of the double backup unit." Moegi responds briskly.

_**Double backup unit sure sounds better then – these six 12 year old Genin we managed to spare.**_

Sarada wonders if the political jargon comes with experience or if they teach it to shinobi once they reach a certain rank.

Everyone of Team 1 are either chunin or higher, which makes it awkward for the genin to approach or strike conversation with them.

They walk for a while when the center teams stop.

"Why are they stopping?" Namida asks, worried frown on her face.

Hanabi-sensei sighs. "Whatever you may learn about this mission will be from what you'll witness, and not from being pre-told. See?" she gestures at the two shinobi from the patrol teams approaching over.

"They're making sure patrol reports are clear." Shikadai realizes, watching as the center forces resumed their march. "Every… what, it's been a quarter of an hour? So every fifteen minutes?" He glances at his sensei.

Moegi-sensei shrugs in a who-knows way. "Guess you'll find out in fifteen minutes, Shikadai."

Inojin frowns, annoyed. "What's the point of keeping it from us if we'll find out anyways?"

"That way if we're captured by the enemy we won't be able to tell them anything except that which has already passed." Sumire says gravely, purple eyes narrowed. "We know 15 min after we headed out the center forces stopped, but we wouldn't be able to confirm they'll stop again fifteen minutes from now until we see that they do – and so on."

"Mm." Hanabi-sensei agrees approvingly at her student.

"Great," Shikadai looks sourly at Sumire. Sarada wonders if he's jealous she figured it out first. "So we're operating on the assumption that we would get captured on this mission by an enemy." His voice tight with sarcasm.

"That is great." Sarada agrees without the sarcasm.

To her left, Wasabi and Inojin stare at her like she's lost it.

"Hey, beats cat missions." Sarada tells them honestly.

"Too much rain got through her ears to her brain." Wasabi tells Inojin sagely, who nods solemnly.

It's twenty minutes later that the center forces pause once more.

_**They must be making the reporting times random on purpose so they'll be unpredictable.**_

The west patrol kunoichi comes over to report. The east shinobi does not.

There is an air of unease through the large road, rain seeping through their cloths and to their bones in a chilling way.

Sarada can hear the echo of the mission leader's voice shouting something up ahead.

"What… do we do?" Wasabi asks, eyes sharply taking in everything.

"We're backup. If needed, we backup." Moegi-sensei says tightly, expression serious and clear. "Hanabi-san?"

The veins around Hanabi-sensei's eyes tighten and bulge, and she looks around with her Byakugan.

"Figures…" she observes. "Sensory team is unsure if they're enemy or the patrol ninja."

"They're making any moves?"

"Nothing clear." Hanabi says calmly.

_BOOM!_

The air pocket from the huge explosion hits over them, throwing the rain on their faces painfully and almost knocking them off their feet.

"…Okay, now it's clear." Hanabi-sensei concludes with so much dignity it must be a Hyuga clan trait.

"We'll take east side!" Hero yells over the noise from the others. "You stay here in case they go after any other unit!" he calls before Team 1 flashes over to the explosion quickly.

"Copy!" Moegi-sensei yells, pulling a kunai from her tool bag. "Everyone, be ready for anything!"

"Yes!" the genin reply, all trying to prepare for the unknown.

_KABOOM!_

Bits of trees caught in the explosion fly in the air ahead of them, as the bombing causes the earth to shake beneath Sarada's feet.

"What the hell is going on?!" Wasabi hisses, sinking nails to the ground and crouching like a cat, ready to jump on anything coming their way.

_'I am Jirgu, of the sensory team.'_

Sarada jumps at the voice in her head.

_'To avoid confusion and chaos I will now give everyone a clear picture of the situation so no mistakes are made. East side and the front forces are attacked. Team 1 is on their way to east team, front forces are easily standing on their own and don't need assistance. Team backup, we need you to go to east side as well, where we sense the majority of the enemy's power. Center forces – please move forward. Our objective is to help you make it to the destination. Good luck everyone.'_

"Let's go!" Moegi calls, and everyone heads to where Hero's team disappeared to.

While the center forces walk through the main roads, the east patrols are located in the tangled mess of trees and bushes and moss and grass, all dripped in the never-ending rain, no doubt making sure no enemy hides there.

And turns out they are hiding there.

"What now?" Shikadai asks, looking at the shadows around them – too many places an enemy could hide and observe them from in here, and they can't spot any ally.

"Left!" Hanabi-sensei calls without pausing in her run, eyes seeing far beyond the nearest trees blocking everyone else's sights.

Everyone follows her, as she makes her way through the forest expertly, like she could map it all out without trouble.

_**She probably can.**_

"Can the Byakugan user please fuck off?" asks a sweet voice, ringing across them all like a song.

"Why don't you ask her face to face?" Moegi-sensei baits, trying to determine where the noise is coming from.

"Because I wasn't born yesterday?" the woman replies, voice like silk.

_**I know it.**_

_**I KNOW IT.**_

"Now, little petals." The voice orders, and Sarada can feel in her bones that something bad is coming. The whole forest shines with flower petals. Then the petals spread and break off, turning into dancing gems, half sticking to each other. In seconds, it's like sparkling spiders have been living in this forest for hundreds of years and have made it their home.

"What the hell?!" Inojin gasps, staring all around them.

"Can you still see me sweetheart?" the silky voice demands.

Hanabi-sensei's face, for the first time since Sarada's known her, is contorted in anger. Hanabi doesn't answer.

"Good." The unknown woman says.

_**I KNOW her.**_

"Let's probe a little in your abilities, Allied Forces, shall we?" she calls, before a small, triangle and metallic looking thing, flies away next to Sarada.

_**A butterfly?**_

Sarada turns to look at it and freezes. It's hers. She used it when she fought, all those months ago.

_**Delta.**_

"Watch out!" Moegi-sensei's scream tore Sarada's eyes away from the flying piece of technology.

A second later three cloaked figures flash over them, landing softly before them.

The strange thing is, that even over the hoods all three have six flowers hovering around their heads like a halo.

"Water Release!" Moegi-sensei yells, hands flying with the speed of her signs, and everyone starts fighting while Sarada's head is still preoccupied with her discovery.

_**How is Delta alive, I've seen Seventh kill her.**_

A kick cuts through Sarada's shoulder painfully and she reels back.

"Sarada focus!" Moegi yells.

"I am focused…" Sarada grumbles under her breath, avoiding one of the enemies that decided to zoom in on her for some reason. "Just not on this."

_**Is it Kawaki? Is he here? Is that why Delta's here? Is she after him again? Is he the 'package' we're transporting to a secret location? Shikadai did say the real target might be a person –**_

_Ziiiiiip!_

When a lightning jutsu so blazing blue misses her nose by pure luck, Sarada takes it as her dad somehow admonishing her from wherever he is and shuts her brain off and focuses.

Sarada activates her Sharingan and avoids all the attacks headed her way, learning carefully how her enemy operates.

"I knew I liked you!" the man rejoices. "Your eyes are mine, Uchiha!"

Hanabi-sensei's kunai flies right through one of the six flowers on the man's head and it breaks.

"Break the flowers!" Moegi-sensei orders, throwing and bending her kunais with precision.

Throwing three shuriken at the enemy swiftly – _whoosh swirl whoosh!_ – Sarada jumps when he sends lighting orbs at her.

"Nue!" Sumire yells, making her special summoning jutsu, and the large beast shows up – almost the size of old Akamaru now. "The chakra webs, Nue!"

Nue growls and jumps around franticly, where he goes the strange glittering webs get absorbed into him, and it's almost like he's growing bigger.

_**It's chakra – it's blocking Hanabi-sensei's Byakugan. **_Sarada realizes.

"These two are annoying!" one of the three – a short woman with a pouty voice – calls at the two jonin. "Bye bye!" she does a complicated hang sign Sarada barely has time to register as earth style, before an earth release barrier separates Moegi, Hanabi, and anyone who is standing between them, from those left.

Sarada, Sumire, and Wasabi watch in dismay as they're left with two of the enemies.

"Better!" the woman calls. "Now let's – OWWW!" she screeches, as Nua sinks it's long teeth onto her waist. "You filthy-!"

"_Ninja Art: Cat Cloak!_" Wasabi's hood glows green and she grows cat-like ears. "Hold her still Nue!" Wasabi jumps with sharpened instincts and slams her claws through three of the flowers of the woman triumphantly.

The man kicks her away before she can break the last one the woman has left, and Sarada knows Moegi-sensei was right to tell them to go after the strange flowers.

"Wasabi!" Sumire calls, eyes turning cold at the man tearing Nue off his comrade.

Nue runs off before lying flat out on the barrier wall, absorbing it into itself.

"Get off that you strange beast!" the woman screams, her side bleeding freely.

The man – either a major bastard or a professional kicker – twirls in the air towards Sumire and Sarada, trying to go for close hand to hand combat where they'll be at a disadvantage.

Sarada leaps back, using the wires she still has around the three shuriken she threw before to surprise the man and make him slow down in his advances.

"Sarada – Blackberries!" Sumire yells, eyes steady on the enemy.

_**Blackberries.**_

"Let's do it!" Sarada yells, feeling her own power growing, her fists forming, her eyes glowing red as reality grows sharper – easier to pinpoint.

"_Water Release!_" Sumire yells at the same moment Sarada's fists slam onto the ground and the earth shakes and everyone stumbles –

Everyone except Sumire who hops in the air a second before the energy wave hits and aims her water guns with precision at the five flowers that crown the head of the enemy.

She breaks three. One swooshes right next to the fourth, but the enemy ninja shifts his feet despite the ground shaking beneath his feet and avoids the hit stealthily.

"Guess it's too much to ask for the enemy to be completely useless." Sarada says easily, annoyed.

"You shitty kids!" he screeches, eyes bulging, now left with only two flowers.

"I think he heard you." Sumire grins.

"Mmh." Sarada shrugs, looking unimpressed in a way she knows would make her father proud.

"Earth -!"

"No you don't! _Meow_!" in their anger they let Wasabi surprise the woman from behind, tail smacking the remaining flowers and breaking them. Wasabi settles back on two feet as the woman falls like her strings were just cut off. "When did you two get so good at teamwork?" Wasabi asks, annoyed.

"Stop pouting; this isn't over, Wasabi-chan!" Sumire calls, facing the man who is already forming hand seals with one hand and getting a sword out with another.

"I'll get that stone! And I'll rip those eyes _right out of your -!_"

Suddenly he's drowning in a mess of endless wave after wave of water.

"Moegi-sensei!" Sumire calls, relieved, at the source of the impressive powerful water release.

"Thank you, Nue." Hanabi-sensei says solemnly to the animal companion who weakened the barrier enough for the jonin to easily break it.

"You three alright?!" Shikadai asks, rushing over. Namida's eyes are glued to her teammates, likely looking for any injuries.

Somewhere behind them Sarada spots a lifeless figure on the ground – probably the third enemy unlucky enough to be trapped on the side of the barrier with the jonin.

"They weren't much, I think." Wasabi starts. "I mean, we stood up to them almost neck to neck with just three genin and Nue."

Nue whimpers, hurt.

Wasabi flusters. "Waahh sorry sorry you're incredible Nue – I didn't mean it like that I swear!"

Nue still turns around, giving Wasabi her backside.

"Sarada." Moegi's tone freezes everybody, and somewhere beneath their feet, it probably freezes hell too. "Remind me when we get back to the village to instill in you how foolish it is to just activate your Sharingan in front of an enemy."

Sarada blinks at her, unsure why she's being reprimanded. "Whatever works to win, right?" she asks, hesitatingly.

"No." Moegi says tightly. "It's suicide to reveal something this valuable to an enemy you can't be sure you're stronger than. Maybe your father, who can protect his eyes, can show his Sharingan to anyone he pleases. But you're still young, and you're just a genin. Those eyes are a target. What would you have done if you didn't have backup today, or the fight had gone sour? Your eyes would've been ripped out of your face."

All the genin look sick, pale, and wince at the graphic description. Even Sumire flinches.

Everyone except Sarada, who's frozen.

"…I take it that happened a lot?" she asks, shaking. Anger or fear, she's not sure.

Moegi's eyes shift, considering her next words before admitting. "A long time ago, it was a constant concern for certain shinobi."

_**Who were Uchiha.**_

"They were as soughed after as the Hyugas." Hanabi-sensei says calmly, giving Sarada a solidarity look.

"…But it's just me and Dad now. It's much less common." Sarada tries to shake off Moegi's argument and her own feelings of being hunted like some animal.

Moegi closes her eyes and looks genuinely sad when she tells Sarada "When there's less of something unique and powerful, it only becomes more valuable to people like that. You have something very rare, Sarada. Using your Sharingan against unknown enemies is frankly a risk to your person and anyone who's with you."

Sarada's stomach feels like it is dropped in an ice bath. She looks at Sumire and Wasabi.

_**Did I put them in danger?**_

"We're okay, Sarada-chan." Sumire tells her confidently.

Sarada doesn't believe her. After all, on one side of the barrier were two jonin yet the enemy split so two of them were on this side – because they wanted Sarada's eyes. She _did_ put them at risk.

Sarada looks at Moegi-sensei pleadingly. _**I didn't know.**_ She nods, promising silently.

Moegi, thankfully, doesn't dwell on it. "Come on, I sent Inojin to the sensory team. Someone will come by to pick up the three bodies. Maybe we'll get lucky and learn something about who they're associated with."

Sarada knows who.

"There's still whoever that woman was – a potential threat to the mission."

Delta – there's likely nobody here who could even make her break a sweat.

"We need to keep moving."

There are muttered 'Yes.' And the seven of them make their way back.

Sarada drags her feet, and probably because of the heavy atmosphere nobody questions her for it. Thankfully, Hanabi-sensei stays behind to wait for her.

Sarada takes their moment alone to turn to the jonin and say "It's Kara."

Hanabi-sensei's eyes widen a fraction in surprise. Maybe Sarada was supposed to confess her depressed emotions or something.

"I wasn't sure if I should let the others know." With how confidential everything about this mission is, Sarada needs to know she won't put her friends at risk again unintentionally. Knowing things can be dangerous. Shikadai may be curious, but she'll only tell him if Hanabi-sensei allows it.

"How do you know?" Hanabi-sensei asks, collected yet still urgent.

"The woman is called Delta – I recognized her voice. Lord Seventh killed her when Kara invaded the village. I don't know how it's possible. She's in their inner circle."

Hanabi-sensei looks deep in concentration. "I see. We should join the others for now, it's good you told me. We'll figure out how much to tell the others, for now, please keep it to yourself."

Sarada nods, accepting the orders given almost mechanically, and both kunoichi hurry to catch up with the group.

They join the group, and Inojin casts a look meant to ask if she's okay. Sarada nods, hoping it looks believable, and they continue their way through Rain country. This time the atmosphere is much tenser.

For several hours nothing happens at all, forcing Sarada's head to run off on her with one painful thought after the other.

_**I want to be the Hokage so I can help. So I can protect my friends and be acknowledged. So my clan can finally be acknowledged. **_

Sarada closes her eyes. She has something 'rare' others would kill for.

_**I try harder and harder – but I only bring danger, not safety. It's surprising nobody came after my eyes before now – set out to hunt me down. If I were the Hokage, the village will be in danger, not safer or stronger, as the worst kind of people will seek out to posses the Sharingan. My dream, meticulously picked out to make everything better, will only ever make everything worse.**_

_**I should give it up, and I should stay away from my friends. Maybe it'll be morally right to just live like Papa – travelling and not dragging anybody down. **_

_**I'll be all alone, just like I was when I was a child. Before team 7. Before the academy and my friends.**_

Sarada opens her eyes, shutting her brain off with all her willpower. Now isn't the time.

Hopefully, the time is never.

Then someone stumbles at the center forces and another Iwa shinobi yells "Careful! You'll activate it!"

"Ha. Guess that package wasn't a decoy." Shikadai says thoughtfully at the panicked shinobi.

"That man better be fired." Moegi-sensei grits her teeth.

Sarada watches the scene with all of her attention, simply to have somewhere to put it that isn't her own stupid thoughts.

That's the only reason she notices the small triangle settle on the man's leg.

It doesn't even register that on instinct, Inojin holds her elbow to keep her from falling as she jumps forward trying everything at once, knowing nothing will help fast enough. But she has to try – to reach –

Not knowing if it'll help or hinder, but at least reach in time, Sarada gets the idea and puts as much chakra as she can into her fist and slams it on the ground.

"Sarada – what's going -?!"

"SHANNARO!" the wreckage reaches the center forces and complete chaos ensues; three pairs of Iwa shinobi appear before her, one grabs her other elbow, and Moegi and Hanabi are suddenly there too, blocking their way to her. Shinobi stumble or jump into a fighting formation at the attack, where the main forces are cluttered. The shinobi who stumbled jumps, and the triangle gets shaken off from his leg.

Sarada has a heartbeat to breath, relieved.

Then the triangle glows.

"She's a Leaf genin, get your hands off her." Moegi-sensei's voice says coldly to her left.

"She attacked us-!"

Sarada ignores all the people around her, twists out of both the hands holding her elbows, pushes herself through the legs of the grown Iwa ninja in her way until she's on his other side and screams with all her lungs down at the center teams.

"GET AWAY! BOMB!"

_Ka-BOOM!_

The air pocket throws blasted wind on all of them, pulling Sarada's short hair backwards and causing her glasses to nearly fall off.

There are yells and shouts to get help, but it doesn't appear like anyone's hurt too badly.

It's the triangle – that's the bomb. The first two times as well. Knowing Delta could do so much more damage, without so much warning beforehand, Sarada arrives to only one conclusion.

_**They're playing with us.**_

Sarada twirls backwards, sidestepping the tense Iwa shinobi glaring at her.

"I don't think they're serious, Moegi-sensei! I think we're being baited."

Moegi-sensei doesn't shift her gaze from the Iwa shinobi but nods. "Girls, go to the Sensory team, tell them this attack is a distraction and to send word to the Allied Forces HQ, now!"

Shikadai's eyes narrow at his teacher, his green eyes sharp.

Sumire, Namida, and Wasabi nod, glancing at the shinobi still trying to reprimand Sarada coldly before running off.

"She shouldn't have acted on her own –" one of them says to Moegi-sensei.

"There wasn't any time." Inojin tells him blankly, like he's being stupid on purpose.

"I'm going to have to ask you gentlemen to back off from our genin, or else we'll be left with no choice but to cause you pain." Hanabi-sensei says, terrifyingly polite.

The Iwa shinobi looks her in the eye and nods. "Right back at 'chya, Hyuga."

_'Update from the Sensory team.'_ Rings in Sarada's head, and she knows the others all hear Jirgu's soft voice too.

_'The earthquake was an attack initiated by one of the Leaf Backup shinobi, meant to draw attention to the explosion in time. The explosions are caused by a small triangle thing, that is likely technological in nature – if you encounter it proceed with caution and warn everyone around you. The enemies don't seem serious in attempting to steal the device, which is why we'll carefully proceed forward with the mission given. HQ has been notified.'_

Sarada listens; impressed to realize one of the girls spotted the triangle in all the mess and figured out it's the cause of the damage.

The two Leaf jonin and the Iwa shinobi stare at each other cautiously.

Then a shinobi stumbles their way. It's the shinobi who stumbled and panicked earlier. It doesn't appear he's holding the package any longer, so maybe he really was fired.

"Hello, umm. That triangle thing Jirgu-san mentioned, some people said they saw it on my leg, before it went off. I just, I guess I wanted to say thank you." He smiles shyly. "You really saved me. I mean, at the very least I could've lost my leg. At worse…" he shrugs, a blue and white square earring on one ear jingles as he does. "Part of the job and all, but I'd rather avoid it anyways." He jokes, offering his hand.

Sarada shrugs, feeling uncomfortable. "It's fine."

"What's your name?"

She takes the hand offered. The shinobi is a chunin, maybe, which is impressive because he's maybe a few years older than them.

"…Sarada." _**Uchiha**_. Sarada wants to say it loud and proud, but she won't endanger her friends anymore today.

"I'm Akira." He shakes her hand firmly. "And I owe you my life, Sarada-chan." He smiles in thanks.

"Akira, you're not supposed to leave your post." One of the Iwa shinobi sighs, looking tired suddenly, and at the same time less likely to try and arrest Sarada.

"Yes sir!" Akira says, his light brown eyes wide and innocent.

Sarada's lip twitches upwards at the obvious sarcasm.

The shinobi turns and leaves quickly, back to the center forces, and silence ensues.

"Wow, so awkward." Shikadai says, cranking his neck strangely to ease his shoulders.

The Iwa shinobi frown but one turns to Sarada and nods. "We're sorry for the aggression, as shinobi our reaction is understandable. Thank you for the help."

Sarada has a feeling that she just saved the right guy's life.

_BOOOOM!_

Behind them all, where the Sensory Team is located, the biggest explosion yet goes off.

Hanabi-sensei's head snaps back sharply, and she calls "Girls!" before vanishing from sight in a move so fast Sarada couldn't track.

"We're going too!" Moegi-sensei yells, and Sarada, Inojin, and Shikadai follow her at full speed.

* * *

Hey so started a new job – they really don't pay me enough (sad sigh) which means I can't promise to upload a ch every week anymore – as you saw this one took – three weeks? Anyways, I'll try, but maybe it'll be every two weeks?

Plz leave comments or I'll cry later (I'm lying – I'm kinda not -_-)

Have a funky day!

P.S- next chapter is from Shikadai's POV!


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter 14_

_Sustainability Stone Arc part 4_

Shikadai

Shikadai and the other rush through the chaos – rain slowing them down and sending chills down their spines, mud sinking their boots ankle-deep, and pieces of objects flying in the air, landing everywhere.

_**They're alive… they have to be.**_ Shikadai thinks desperately.

The air pushing them backwards wave after wave fills them with dread – this was the biggest explosion yet.

"Heads up!" Moegi-sensei yells, and Shikadai knows it's thanks to his sensei's sensory skills.

"Damn it!" Shikadai curses, gritting his teeth as they duck when a blown up tree trunk lands right before them.

"Moegi-sensei!" Sarada's voice calls, sounding strange and strangled.

Shikadai turns to look, unused to anything affecting Sarada.

The debris from the explosion – among a pile of broken twigs and branches – lays an arm. Just an arm.

Inojin grabs Shikadai's shoulder, trying to keep himself from throwing up if his friend's green expression is to go by.

"It's Iwa standard flak jacket." Shikadai says grimly, watching Sarada nod sharply once at his assessment it's not a piece of any of their friends.

There's a swarm of shinobi, a clutter of Iwa ninja shifting about further ahead, and just over a turn in the road – blocking the scene from them.

"What's going on over there?!" Shikadai demands, frustrated.

_**And that comment about informing HQ… was Wasabi right? Are there multiple missions happening simultaneously across the continent right now? But that's just crazy…**_

Just as they're about to reach the turn, and find out what's happened to their comrades, more flower-crowned figures appear.

"Leaf shinobi, this should be fun." One of them calls, only a cocky smirk visible under his hood.

"We don't have time for this!" Inojin shouts, glaring frostily at the enemies.

"Get out of the way!" Sarada shoots shuriken at both of them. They both hop easily out of the way, only to groan in surprised pain at the three shuriken that hit them, hidden in the shadows of the higher shuriken.

_Poff!_

_Poff!_

Two logs appear in front of them.

"That was cute, kid." The smirking one calls, hopping down from a nearby tree.

_**Damn! We can't keep wasting time here, and none of us is focused right now while we still don't know if Wasabi, Sumire, and Namida are okay. **_

Thinking of Namida, Shikadai mentally winces – his childhood friend seems too fragile sometimes for shinobi life. Not because she's a girl, but because there's something too kind about her.

_**Hopefully Sumire found a way to keep them safe until Hanabi-sensei gets there. **_Shikadai thinks, always having been suspicious the purple haired girl is better than she pretends to be.

Inojin keeps fumbling in his paintings, preoccupied.

Sarada grits her teeth, half-assing her attacks.

_**We can't focus, this is bad.**_

But just because Shikadai can see it, doesn't mean that he can change it – there's no way he can just not worry about his friends.

They came here together – they have to return home together too. They just do.

"Kid, you know what you get when you mix water and lightning?" the smirking enemy asks. "You took chemistry at school, right?"

_**This is going to be bad. **_Shikadai steels himself.

"_Death Drops: Water Release, Lightning Release! Electrifying Waves!_"

They all jump as high as they can; nobody tries to take the attack head on.

Trees and rocks get swept into the attack – the water cracking with blue lightning.

These enemies seem much stronger than the three they've faced earlier. _**At least Chunin level.**_

"Moegi-sensei –" Shikadai turns to ask her what to do but just then realizes she should've sensed the enemies before they reached them.

His teacher stands still, looking at the enemies in concentration instead of action, which is unlike her, barely avoiding their attacks.

"Look, their Jonin is terrified!" the second figure cackles, her teeth long like claws. "I knew those spoilt shinobi were weaklings!"

Shikadai has to agree; it does appear that way, which can't be right.

_'Figure out what the enemy wants to think, and let them think that.'_

Shikadai's dad's words come to his mind, from all their times of playing Shogi.

"_Fire Release: Blazing Fire Swords!_" The cackling woman casts, casting heat right at Shikadai, as flames eat the air and soar at him.

Before the sword-shaped blasts of fire can reach, Sarada is in front of him, blocking with a fast "_Fire Ball Jutsu!_" and a wave of pure heat throws itself at the enemy's attack.

The air is colder when both fires vanish.

Shikadai leaves his teacher, realizing she's playing some move, and uses Sarada's offered cover to cast hand signs.

"_Shadow Paralysis Jutsu!_"

_Phwiiing!_

The shadows stretch towards the smirking figure who is currently overpowering Inojin.

He jumps out of the way, but Shikadai doesn't let that stop him – "Come on! A _little_ more!" Shikadai stretches the shadow and widens it, reaching fast.

The enemy throws wire over to a treetop and uses it to pull himself away from the shadows trying to capture him.

"_Tch_!" Shikadai doesn't let up, and does his best to ignore the – _Swoosh_-ing and _clank_ -ing – behind him he knows must be Sarada's fight.

"_WATER RELEASE: FIVE WATER DRAGONS JUTSU!_"

Around all of them five shadow clones of Moegi-sensei cast the jutsu over patches of trees and rocks – clearing them all. Like walls in a maze they clear and everyone can see everything happening, suddenly no longer confined to their confrontation with the enemy.

The entire battlefield spreads in front of Shikadai and he can see they're not the only ones held back by attackers to keep them all spread out to cause confusion and frustration. At least half of the Iwa shinobi who went to check on the Sensory team are held back in small groups. Everyone looks around them now, seeing each other, the enemy's cover blown and tactic ruined.

_'If the enemy wants to separate your forces, unite them.'_

Shikadai grits his teeth, his Dad's familiar lectures flying through his head. It's suddenly clear why Moegi-Sensei ended up as his direct teacher… meddlesome old man.

"NO, you shitty shinobi!" the man shrieks, casting a deadly kunai at Inojin and the Moegi next to Shikadai.

Moegi-Sensei vanishes in smoke, having been a clone all this time, and Inojin quickly jumps out of the way. Using his distraction the enemy punches Inojin in the face and he flies backwards into a tree trunk, and traps him there and takes out a sword from under his cloak.

"Damn it!" Shikadai curses, as Inojin is completely pinned down.

"_Fire Arrows: Fire Release!_" the sharp-teethed woman's hands flash with her hand signs and arrows appear towards Sarada, standing directly in front of him.

One glance tells him the closest Moegi-sensei clone is too far away to help with the immediate assaults after using so much chakra on the forest, and Shikadai grits his teeth, taking out a few kunais and bomb tags, planning some formations in his head for how to play this –

"OWWW!" Shikadai falls to his knees, a fire arrow shot through his shoulder.

_**Pain. It's so hot. I don't understand.**_

Shikadai looks around. Sarada's on the other side of the battle, where the smirking enemy has his sword to Inojin's throat. Before he can finish Inojin off Sarada's fist goes above his head and a wave of her extreme strength goes off and shatters all the flowers.

The smirking enemy falls to the ground, lifeless.

_**She chose him. I was left to survive, I guess.**_

Shikadai hears a soft "Ugh…"

Shikadai looks up in time to see the sharp-toothed woman crumple on the ground as well, Moegi-Sensei standing behind her with a bloodied kunai.

"Shikadai, don't move that arm." She instructs, and makes sure to step over the woman's flowers before going over to him.

Battle sounds echo from all around them – the Iwa shinobi are uniting their powers and overpowering the enemies one by one – Shikadai sees at least two clones of his teacher helping the other groups in their battles.

An air pocket explodes from up ahead and brushes gently across them, the rain _fooshing_ sideways before falling down regularly again.

Sarada and Inojin make it over to them quickly. "Not another explosion!" Sarada mutters, brow furrowed.

"No, it's Hanabi-san." Moegi-sensei tells them, nodding to where figures with flower petals on their heads were flying every which way, thrown by a blue circle of what seems to be pure, vibrating, chakra rotations.

Hanabi seems to be giving them hell. Shikadai finds he feels no sympathy to the enemies, arm stinging with burning pain and the fate of his three comrades still unknown.

"Shikadai, here." His teacher places her palm over his painful injury and begins to heal it. Shikadai can't help the small pained noise he makes.

Sarada and Inojin hover over them, worried faces. Sarada's concern causes a heat of anger to rise in Shikadai's neck. It was easy, probably, to reach and take out the enemy on the other side, preoccupied with Inojin, by leaving Shikadai behind to take on an attack he wasn't ready for without warning. Still sucked. He and Sarada weren't the closest of friends, but he didn't expect her not to have his back like this.

"I'm afraid beyond basics I'm not much of a medic. Let's wrap this up for the time being." Moegi calls, handing him medical patches to replenish blood lose and chakra replenishes, and bandages his wound.

Hesitatingly, he looks at it when she's done. It looks awful.

"Come on, we need to find the girls." His sensei says, rushing them to move again. Shikadai knows his sensei's feeling guilty for being the one who sent the three Genin alone in the first place.

_**Right, no time. Just push through the pain and deal with it after this mess is over with. You're a shinobi.**_

Shikadai sighs, and can acknowledge even to himself that grumpy doesn't begin to cover his mode when he ignores Sarada and Inojin's "You okay?" and they all flash quickly over to the battle up ahead.

The area is a mess. It takes a moment to take it all in; Hanabi-sensei is throwing enemies off one by one without much more effort than when she was training with them outside of Amegakure. At first it seems random, but quickly Shikadai sees the pattern – she's moving towards the southwest in a steady pace.

Moegi, a few seconds ahead in her analysis, points over to the end of the trail Hanabi's making. "There!"

They spot the two pigtails, and see Namida barely holding off a giant enemy, closing in on her. Her cloths singed and her orange and white jacket badly burned.

They all leap forward, Moegi fastest of them, and Shikadai's mind is overheating.

_**Where are Wasabi and Sumire? Are we going to make it on time?**_

They're close enough to see when her attacker manages to wrap his hands around the Genin's small neck and lifts her upwards.

_**Damndamndamn -!**_

Next to him Sarada and Inojin move ahead of him, hurrying their pace, their muscles straining.

A blurry blue blazes nearby.

Barely breathing, Namida seems to spot it, and manages to back herself behind her assailer, letting him take the brunt of Hanabi's barrier's force.

"URGGHHH!"

The enemy screams, crumbling to the ground, as a barrier goes right through half of him, severing his skin and causing severe internal damages.

Namida falls back on the ground, gasping for breath.

"Namida!" Sarada calls, and the three Genin flash around her, helping her to her feet. "Are you alright, can you breath?" Sarada looks around for medical help. "Where's Moegi-sensei?" she demands.

Inojin's quick to spot their teacher as Namida is still breathing heavily. "Over there – I think that's Sumire, but it's hard to tell everybody's cloths are dirty from the explosion."

"Let's join them." Shikadai decides, feeling uneasy with himself injured, Namida hurt and exhausted, and no Jonin in their group. "Can you make it?" He asks Namida.

She massages her throat, usually covered by a long necked jacket (now half burnt) and her headband (nowhere to be seen) now exposed and red with finger prints pressed on it.

Namida nods bravely, before disentangling herself from them. "W-wait." She reaches for something metallic on the floor. Through the soot and ash and debris she pulls up her Leaf headband (the cloth around it burned). She pockets it carefully, and lets Sarada wrap her arms around her and help her.

"Here" Sarada stops them before they start moving, and hands Namida two chakra pills from her Kunai pouch.

Namida hesitates. "I'm not out of chakra yet."

Sarada shakes her head. "Doesn't matter, have some anyway. My mom told me that as a side effect these help level your adrenaline levels and you need to come off the high levels your body's probably in right now due to shock. It also accelerates bloodstream through the system, it'll help with the headache making it hard to focus right now." Sarada speaks quickly, voice clear and loud so it can reach whatever mental state Namida's at right now.

_**Ah, guess it helps to have a medic-nin genius for a mom.**_

Inojin nods along like showing that everything he hears doesn't contradict with his own basic level of medicine Aunt Ino instilled in him.

Namida takes the pills. "Thanks." She nods, and it must help because she no longer holds onto her head like she's scared it might blow up. Her arms are still shaking, though, Shikadai notes.

Together they leap forward as fast as they manage, towards Moegi and Sumire, who seem to be wrapping up the enemies on their side of the field, along with several Iwa shinobi Shikadai's never seen before.

Shikadai's eyes dance across the field but he can't spot Hanabi Hyuga anywhere.

_**Hopefully, she's wherever Wasabi is.**_

Shikadai doesn't miss the fact that Wasabi hasn't shown up anywhere as of yet. The short haired girl is too damn stubborn to yell for help, Shikadai knows, so the only one who's got a chance to find her in this mess of a battlefield is Hanabi-sensei with her Byakugan.

Shikadai half leaning on Inojin feeling fatigue plaguing him after his injury, and Namida letting Sarada carry her weight as she recovers, the four Genin Leaf friends avoid the fighting best they can as they make their way carefully.

_**Should I try capturing some of them in a shadow? We could help those fighting, but if I use up any more chakra I'm not sure how my injury will react, it'll be too much energy lost too soon. Not to mention I'd rather not see Namida thrown back into the fray again just yet, until Moegi-sensei gets a look at her. Like Moegi-sensei said during practice, know when to run. **_

Shikadai grits his teeth and wonders if this is what growing feels like. He isn't a fan.

"Summoning Jutsu!" An Iwa kunoichi calls and slams the palm of her hand on the cobblestones firmly, and the letters and seal appear. Out of the smoke a lion roars over all of their heads, quickly gnawing on the enemies. One jumps out of the way, managing to save three of his petals, and lands right in front of the group of Leaf Genin, refocusing on them.

"Great." Inojin mutters, one arm secured around Shikadai's shoulders, the other going to his sword.

Shikadai can't help but agree with his friend; they just can't seem to catch a break.

Before the enemy can reach them to strike, his weapon falls from loose fingers and he's gripping his head, screaming with pain.

"What's going on?!" Namida calls, unable to look away from the man writhing in pain in front of them from seemingly nothing.

Sarada's head jumps everywhere, a flash of red peeks under her glasses before they flicker back to black, before she exclaims "Over there!"

_**Can her Sharingan follow chakra lines? Like with the puppet user during the Chunin exams? **_

Shikadai can't deny the usefulness of that, and at the moment, that really annoys him. Can't he just be angry at her and excuse it as her being useless as a Nakama? But no, of course not; Sarada is perfect as always.

Sarada points to three Iwa shinobi sitting huddled over open scrolls and muttering with their eyes closed. Around them, quickly drawing with paint symbols and seals in a circle on the floor is -_**Wasabi!**_ Guarding them, Hanabi-sensei stands firmly, her eyes finding theirs and nodding once even across the great distance, before resuming her watch.

"What are they doing to them?" Inojin asks, voice void of emotion and Shikadai knows his friend well enough to know he's bothered by the invisible assault on all the enemies on the field, and is trying to mask it.

Shikadai figures it out quickly. "They attacked the sensory team." He tells them. "And now the sensory team is attacking their minds directly."

_**Practical and terrifying.**_

_CRUSH!_

The four Genin snap their attention back to the enemy in front of them, on the floor. Moegi-sensei's foot over his head, having broke the three petals while he was down.

Shikadai sees a flash of purple from the corner of his eye and sure enough when he looks he sees Sumire flashing through the area along with the rest of the still standing Iwa shinobi, and quickly taking down the last of the enemies.

"That's right Shikadai, sensory types can be quite nasty on the battlefield. If you're the attackers, always go after them first." Moegi-sensei lectures them, and walks over to check Namida for injuries.

Shikadai stares at his teacher, knowing she's a sensory type herself, and one of the best, but never advertises that.

_**Well, now I know why.**_

"I-I'm fine – my teammates…" Namida pauses in the middle of her sentence, frowning, and Shikadai has to wonder how tightly that man hurt her throat.

Sarada's pitch black eyes darken even as she tries to keep her emotions out of her expression. Inojin and Sarada, those two childhood friends both seem to bury their feelings when they're too much and smother them, but it's precisely when they do that which tells Shikadai they're having those strong feelings.

Shikadai mentally rolls his eyes at her; there's no point letting anger hold on, as that enemy is dead. Hanabi-sensei cut through him in half like he was cow meat (like she wasn't terrifying already before this mission, now Shikadai knows just how terrifying the head of the Hyuga clan can be).

Moegi gently places her hands over Namida's raw neck and starts healing it. It does look better.

"Sumire's right over there, see? And Wasabi's with Hanabi-san." Moegi says calmly, and finishes healing her. "Alright, this situation is still not over yet, so keep your eyes open. Let's head to the sensory group, they're all well trained in medical ninjutsu." She calls, and waves Sumire over.

Sumire catches the movement; her figure dusts herself off, nods at the Iwa shinobi, and leaps towards them.

"Namida!" Sumire doesn't stop until she's right in front of her teammate. Sumire looks tired, muddy, and more serious than she usually lets others see her.

"Sumire-chan!" Namida whines and Shikadai can feel Inojin relax next to him and sees him roll his eyes.

"If you can complain, you're feeling better." Inojin says, unconcerned when Namida sticks her tongue at him.

"What happened?" Sumire asks, frowning in concern at the smaller girl.

"I'm sorry, I got lost after the explosion threw me off and I couldn't find you again!" Namida looks down.

"It's okay, I'm glad you're alright." Sumire grins, and exchanges a glance with Sarada. Sarada backs off and lets Sumire carry Namida instead, as it clearly helps reassure Sumire.

"Come along." Moegi hurries them. They make their way across the battlefield, Shikadai gritting his teeth and ignoring the bodies on the ground. With the heavy rain, maybe this entire mess will be washed away soon.

"What happened to you two?" Namida asks, panting and trying not to be too obvious the pace is taking a lot out of her too. Shikadai wonders if anybody's actually fooled by him and her.

"Wasabi and I split up. She stayed to guard the sensory team, I went to try and find you." Sumire tells her, voice tight.

Namida's brown eyes are fixated on Sumire.

"H-how's Nue?" she hesitates.

Shikadai, Inojin, Sarada, and Moegi-sensei all glance at them.

Sumire grits her teeth and shakes her head, purple eyes dying of emotion.

Interesting. This feels like the first Shikadai sees of the real Sumire Kakei,

_**Sumire's summoning took the brunt of the attack. Is that normal for summonings to do?**_

"…It's how you three survived that explosion." Sarada realizes.

"Obviously." Shikadai hears himself huff at her. He can't seem to stop himself from picking a fight.

They all look at him. In his defense, his shoulder really hurts.

"Can't you see this is upsetting her, Uchiha? Maybe you just don't care."

Sarada winces, but doesn't back down. They've both stopped walking (Inojin too, by extension).

Sarada stares at him blankly and he can see when she chooses to say something back. Before she can, though, Moegi steps between them and Shikadai flinches at his teacher's anger.

"Not now. Let's go." The jonin tells them, scolding through every syllable.

They reach the sensory group after trotting through the silent remains of the battlefield, a tense feeling through the group because of the obvious wedge Shikadai emphasized between him and Sarada.

"YO! Namida, glad you're not dead – " Wasabi calls, as blunt as always. Shikadai sometimes wonders who's worse at tact between all the genin of their year, Wasabi or Iwabee?

Wasabi seems to pause at taking a closer look at her teammate. "Who hurt you?" She hisses, her entire demeanor changing, body engulfed in fury.

Namida waves her arms up and down in a panic to reassure her she's okay.

"Our team requires medical assistance, if you will." Hanabi-sensei's calm clear voice calls.

A man with deep green eyes and an Iwa headband around his forehead nods at them.

"I can tend to your injuries."

Shikadai blinks at him. His voice is so familiar.

"Jirgu-san." Moegi-sensei says, naming the shinobi that's been telepathically communicating with them. "Thank you for the assistance on the field."

"Just doing my job. I'm glad you've recovered your missing teammate." He tells Sumire, and walks up to Namida and places a green glowing palm on her forehead.

Sumire nods. "Yes, thank you." And glances at Moegi-sensei.

Moegi shrugs as color flows back to Namida's cheeks under the watchful eye of Wasabi and Hanabi-sensei.

"You made the decision to split up for your teammate, and since the consequences weren't too terrible I won't scold you. But you'll have to include this in your report to Lord Seventh." Moegi says.

Sumire nods and Wasabi huffs angrily. "We both made the call, it was an emergency! Nami-chan was missing! I made sure nothing happened to the sensory team." She shrugs.

Hanabi-sensei gives her a small glance and Wasabi visibly checks herself, and bows her head in respect.

_**Maybe I should stop complaining about Moegi-sensei all the time, what with how terrifying Hanabi is.**_

Jirgu's hand falls from Namida's head and she sighs contently.

"Thank you very much." She tells him, brown eyes conveying gratitude.

"Mmh." Jirgu moves on. "You next?" he asks Shikadai.

Shikadai grits his teeth and is proud of himself when he doesn't shoot Sarada an accusing look. "Yeah, thanks."

Jirgu must have much more than just basic training because he somehow heals Shikadai's injuries completely in a few minutes. "We're done."

Shikadai carefully tries moving his arm, and blinks when nothing hurts. Wow.

"You don't appear to carry any heavy injuries, but something is drying up your chakra like there's no tomorrow." Jirgu says, suddenly turning to a tense Sumire, trying to appear confused.

Shikadai's not sure, but he thinks she might know exactly what he's talking about.

"Here, some chakra replenishing pills every other hour should compensate. After the third pill you might feel the urge to sleep, body trying to keep up with fatigue." He administers a medical solution in moments, and hands her some pills similar to those Leaf uses.

_**This man worked as a medic-nin for a few years at least, before becoming an active sensor. I'm sure of it.**_

Sumire hesitates, glancing at Hanabi-sensei. She takes the pills and shoves them in her back pocket.

"Anything else?" Jirgu asks the two jonin politely.

"We appreciate your assistance." Moegi-sensei says sharply.

"And we yours." Jirgu says instantly.

"Any other enemies?"

Jirgu shakes his head. "None we can sense for the moment." He frowns, like something's distracting him. "Orders from the unit commander are you remain with us and we resume our way in twenty."

Hanabi and Moegi-sensei nod, and then hurry the six genin away towards a small clearing on the edge of the thicker woods.

"Alright, we've got a small break. Eat something, everybody, drink some water, and get ready, we'll be running soon, to catch up with the rest of the group." Moegi-sensei tells them.

"I agree; the captain of this mission will be a fool to keep his steady pace. We'll likely be pushing forward as fast as we can both to catch up and keep up." Hanabi says serenely.

"I'll be back before we head out." Shikadai says, and starts walking off away from the group.

He really needs a moment alone.

A forearm reaches out to him and stops him.

"Wait."

Shikadai tries to shake her off, anger rising when he's unable to. When did Sarada develop physical strength?

"Don't feel like it." Shikadai spares her a glance, daring her to keep holding on.

She rolls her eyes.

Shikadai's stomach turns, and he can't control his anger anymore.

"I just need a moment." She presses, like he's being completely unreasonable.

See, Shikadai's always been perceptive, seeing things others worked hard to hide. He's learned from a young age that speaking up about some of these things can end up hurting other people and that he should be careful with what he observes.

When he's angry, that's particularly difficult to rein in, and he ends up striking where he knows it'll hurt.

"Why, so you can try and come up with an excuse for not having my back in a fight? No thanks. You ask yourself if you're a danger to your comrades because of your eyes? You don't have to concern yourself with that; you manage to hurt us even without them. Why did we have to end up with you on a mission? This really sucks." Shikadai drawls.

"Shikadai!" Inojin calls coldly. Inojin's never used that tone with him before. That makes Shikadai angrier. Inojin is _his_ best friend.

Sarada freezes, expression clean of all emotion. Shikadai feels a small amount of satisfaction for getting to the ineffable Sarada Uchiha. The rest of him just feels tired and hurt. Everyone's staring at them. He releases himself from Sarada's grip and leaves without a second look.

He walks until he can't see the sensory team, the bodies being carried away by Iwa shinobi and sealed, and his team's wide stares. He lies down on the grass, letting his hood fall and the rain drop on his face gently.

Alone, he's already starting to feel guilty for what he said, but the shock still gripping him from when he found himself suddenly hurt and alone against an enemy kept him where he is. There's no way he's going to apologize. If Cho Cho were here there's no way it would've happened. He knew his teammates like the back of his hand, after all.

He watches the sky, trying to calm down. This mission is still far from over.

A few minutes later, footsteps reach him much closer than usual. It's difficult to overhear them above the constant rain and as a result by the time he turns to look at her, Moegi-sensei is already in front of him.

Moegi studies him, face emotionless. She sits on the ground right in front of him and says without preemptive "Shikadai, you're a smart kid. Pull yourself from the situation and look at it like a board game. Your next player is Sarada and she only has two moves: one, move from position to rescue another piece from elimination with the price of stamina points that get taken off another piece; two, remain in position and protect one piece from minor injury while allowing the other piece to fall entirely."

Her voice is strong and unyielding, as is her clear gaze. "I don't need to explain to you why the second move was not an option, thus Sarada went to save Inojin and left you to take the hit. Simple. If she hadn't, Inojin Yamanaka would be dead. And I do mean dead, as I was not going to make it in time to save him." she stares him down. "Considering the alternative, I think you can get up and shake off your hurting pride and apologize to your friend."

Shikadai swallows thickly.

"Do you have to be so straight forward all the time?" he glares at her.

She considers him before she answers. "You barely have enough patience to listen when I tell you things bluntly, kid. If I tried beating around the point with you, you'd get bored and your mind will wander off and you'll never actually pay attention when I talk anymore."

Shikadai can't protest, because he's had that exact problem happen to him at the academy all the time with boring teachers.

"It's just… I was reminded of something my mom told me. About sacrificing my teammates to win." Shikadai shrugs. "I guess I thought that's what Sarada did and I didn't like it."

Moegi blinks, surprised. "Your mother told you to sacrifice your teammates?"

Shikadai frowns. "Not really, but is an inevitable part of victory – she said."

She sighs, long and suffering. "Shikadai, is it at all possible you missed the lesson she was trying to teach you entirely there?"

Shikadai feels heat in his face, and tries not to show it hurts to hear. "Are you saying I'm not smart?"

"No, kid. I'm saying it's possible you tune out when your mom yells at you, so you missed some very important things in whatever happened there." She says patiently, which isn't like her and makes Shikadai think he doesn't have the best poker face.

"…Oh. Probably." He admits. Moegi gives him a pointed look. "Alright. Alright." He says, staring at a patch of grass.

"Shikadai we're not out here on vacation," Moegi raises her brow at him. "go now, we've got things to do."

Shikadai gives her a dirty glare. "Jeez, fine!" he grumbles at his Sensei and gets up to find Sarada. He waddles off as she mutters behind him "My students are so much work, honestly."

When Shikadai makes it back to the little spot where their group has claimed, Inojin is constantly shifting back and forth on his feet, Sumire's staring at the pills Jirgu gave her, and Sarada's nowhere to be seen.

The first one to notice him is Hanabi-sensei who holds his gaze for a long moment before nodding towards the left.

Relief washes him and he nods in gratitude before going over past the patch of trees where she indicated. Sure enough, after walking for a bit he sees Sarada.

Sarada looks pissed off. Shikadai feels instantly relieved; he's not sure what he would've done if she was crying. Thankfully, Sarada manages to turn most emotions into anger, and Shikadai would rather get punched than guilt tripped by making a girl cry. Not the nicest thought to have, when he's at the wrong, Shikadai concedes, but it's just how he feels.

"Hey Sarada –"

"I know, I know, alright? You're frustrated with me, I get it. I'm frustrated with me too. I can never get it right!" She yells, hands tight in fists at her sides. "Boruto always made it seem so easy and effortless and I was really mad at him for it because how is it fair that when it's me I always mess it up with people? I think I do the right thing, but then it always seems that I don't." Her eyes are bright red, but she probably doesn't even realize. "Use my Sharingan to help – end up making it worse. Tried to stop a bomb – went off anyways and Hanabi and Moegi ended up altercating with Iwa Jonin! Tell you, not tell you – probably screwed that one up too. I used to marvel at how Mitsuki could be so bad with people – please, I'm probably worse." She huffs, leaning back on a mossy tree.

And it isn't until right here and now that Shikadai remembers Sarada's lost both of her teammates and he feels like a total jerk. He has no idea where he'd be if Inojin and Cho Cho both left. Probably lost and pissed off simultaneously with no idea as to what to do now. Truthfully, he's been feeling off balanced throughout this whole mission because his team is not complete, he'd probably lose it without both of them.

"You did do the right thing… and I shouldn't have gotten angry at you about it. I just really don't like getting hurt, which is pretty stupid considering I'm a ninja. I'm really sorry, Sarada. Sorry I said you didn't have my back – heck, you saved my teammate's life."

Sarada looks at him unsure, like she's half wondering why he's being nice all of a sudden.

"No, Moegi-sensei didn't force me to apologize." Shikadai grits his teeth at her look of distrust of his honesty.

_**She did, sort of, actually, but if Sarada finds out she'll never consider my words at all.**_

Sarada shrugs and looks away, staring at a puddle on the grass filling more and more as the rain keeps pouring down on them.

"And – "

_Static – static – static!_

"- kadai?"

_**Worst timing ever, friend.**_ Shikadai thinks as he pulls out his game and sees a familiar face looking back.

"Denki – can you come back later, I'm in the middle of –" Shikadai's words are cut with Denki's quick short sentences.

"There's something big going on right now. Both on your mission and the Allied Forces, and back home."

Sarada frowns and comes closer, peering down at Denki with him.

"Listen, they're transporting a bunch of packages across the continent – " static disruption and Shikadai hurriedly shields the small electronic from the rain, knowing it's not helping. "- not just you. One of the missions just reported failure, and many casualties at Kiri. I don't think it's yours, it's on the countryside of Water, still be careful! Watch out for each other out there!"

Shikadai and Sarada stare at their friend's strained face on the small screen, stunned.

"Denki, you – you can't be telling us any of this. You can get into so much trouble." Sarada tells him, looking truly worried for him.

"Sarada-chan, you're there too?" Denki squints, and Shikadai guesses reception is pretty bad. "It was an accident – our company forwards emergency messages to the Hokage's offices."

"Did it say what these thieves managed to steal?" Shikadai asks, concerned. This mission is getting out of hand.

"Some device meant to disrupt chakra or something? I don't know, but everybody seems worried."

Whatever their unit is guarding, this enemy is not that interested in. Not enough to seriously fight them for it. Clearly vaster resources were directed towards Kiri.

"Who could be doing all this?" Shikadai ask out loud, annoyed, not really expecting an answer.

"They didn't tell you?" Denki asks awkwardly, and Shikadai instantly realizes Denki does know. "Well, I'm not supposed to say, but come on, who else has the resources? We only know of one dark group of evil doers with this much power." Denki says like it's obvious.

"Kara." Shikadai realizes. "Of course, I'm an idiot. Thanks Denki, sorry I asked for this… I probably shouldn't have." Shikadai knows, feeling guilty at how much trouble Denki can get into.

"Sarada-chan," Denki looks burdened and nervous and Shikadai gets a bad feeling Denki's got bad news. Sarada shifts uncomfortably next to him, probably wary of his tone as well.

"The message was short and mentioned the full report will be delivered directly to Hokage-sama shortly," makes sense, first a few urgent updates, then a full info secured through the travel to the village will take longer to reach.

Denki doesn't continue.

Sarada doesn't need him to, apparently. "It's my dad."

_**Wait what?**_

Denki nods. "So it said. I'm sure he's fine – he's well enough to update the Hokage's office after all."

_**But what about Boruto? Is he okay?**_

"If Papa was sent there then the village somehow knew Kara would be striking at Kiri and were trying to prevent it." Sarada says analytically.

_**Yeah, and even he failed to stop them. Is Kara undefeatable? **_

Both frowning and deep in thought they bid Denki farewell and quickly shut off the connection.

They both snap out of their own contemplations when Moegi-sensei's voice reaches them.

"Five minutes!"

Sarada shakes her head, and starts making her way back.

"Hey wait," Shikadai rubs the back of his head.

_I'm sure your dad's fine._ Somehow he doesn't think she wants to hear it right now – the words seem empty to Shikadai anyways.

"I'm real sorry about what I said, not only because we're friends, but we're on a mission and I shouldn't have made it personal like that."

That version of an apology seems stoic but one that Sarada seems to accept much more. She hesitates, but then nods. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Shikadai raises his eyebrow in confusion. "Tell me what?"

"That our attackers are Kara."

"You – what?" Shikadai blinks. "You knew?"

Sarada nods. "Hanabi-sensei told me not to say anything."

"How?" _**How'd she figure it out when I didn't?**_ Shikadai's glad no one can hear his thoughts – they're pretty pretentious at times.

The look Sarada gave him, like she's trying not to roll her eyes at him, made him suspicious that maybe his thoughts can be read on his face pretty clearly.

"Classified." She says apologetically.

"It's… okay." Shikadai manages to say, even though it doesn't really feel that way. But since Shikadai's in the wrong here he knows he has no room to accuse her of anything especially when she was following orders on the job.

She nods, a bit awkward. "All these secrets we have to keep… it's a wonder ninja can trust each other at all. I shouldn't have made you feel like you couldn't count on me."

Shikadai sighs. "Nature of the job, I suppose. Now stop apologizing, you're making me feel guiltier."

Sarada chuckles. "That sounds troublesome."

Shikadai blushes, because that's exactly what he was thinking. "Yeah yeah." He mutters, glad they're back to being able to tease each other.

"Let's go, before your sensei surprise attacks us for being late." Sarada jokes, which makes Shikadai wince at unpleasant memories.

"I wish that was her preferred method of punishment for being late." He tells her.

Sarada's eyes widen, probably imagining all sorts of terrors that could be what Moegi's form of retribution looks like.

They both return to the group, and as soon as Inojin spots them he comes up to Shikadai.

Sarada glances at him and leaves them alone, joining the girls on a log, eating to elevate their chakra levels.

"Inojin?"

"If I were stronger Sarada wouldn't have needed to save me, and you wouldn't have gotten hurt. Sorry." He says blankly.

Oh great, Shikadai's guilt came back tenfold.

"Nah, I'm sorry man. You both did your best, I was just…" Shikadai shrugs. "Not your fault."

"Alright let's go." Moegi-sensei calls. "Time to finish this."

Alright! Next chapter we're back to Sarada's pov, and it'll be last of this arc! Again sorry my chapters are delaied a bit lately, but i hope the longer chapter made up for the wait a bit! xoxoxo thanks for sticking with my story, and have a happy and healthy day!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Sustainability Stone Arc part 5 (last chapter to this arc!)

Guess whose POV this chapter starts with? Clap with me if you're pro rounder villains!

Shinobi have long memories. The more veteran of the Konohagakure and Iwagakure bunch are easy to pinpoint, and Delta doesn't even need to try. All sharp eyed, bodies leaned back instead of tensed like the younger ones, so they can move in an instant if needed, in whichever direction. It's been a long 20 years of peace now for this side of the world, a fact Delta does not appreciate at all, and it's all the more apparent by the Genin and Chunin on the field, visibly shaken and somewhat frightened, but not _aware_ enough.

Pathetic. A few detonations and they're all rattled like the traitorous snakes they are. Konoha…this is a surprise to her day. Their spies managed to unfold most of the mapping and guards to the artifacts the Allied Forces assigned, but the back up team is news. The _Byakugan_ wielder was unplanned for this stage. Delta had enough battle experience to counter it in seconds, which makes it a damn good thing Koji wasn't assigned on this mission. The man is a babe in age compared to Delta (and some of the other inner circle Kara members) yet he launches into everything as he feels like it and Delta knows it'll kill him gruesomely one day, likely by the very people he'll be trying to hurt and she's just hoping to have a decent seat for the show. The annoying twerp.

She touches the roman number in the middle of her forehead, knowing the ink's there but unable to feel it through half numb fingers. No matter what Amado tries, her fingers and toes are always half numb, in every one of her bodies. Likely, the cause is not a physical deficiency, but Delta is _loath_ to admit to any such humanity still in herself.

The drone returns lazily through the branches to her alcove. She lets it connect to her mind-server and reads everything it's been recording as its collected reconnaissance on the ninja.

Annoyingly, it starts at the end and reverses backwards. Thankfully she's used to seeing battles backwards. The forces are on the move once more. Then the attack on the sensory team bound to piss them all off and create chaos. The last few bombs – Delta pauses at the small scuffle between Iwa and Konoha. She scoffs. "Well well, pretty sure Allied Forces or not now that everyone's back to wearing their own Hitai-ate old grudges scrap back to the surface."

"Delta-sama?" one of the few subordinates she held back from the sensory team attack questions politely.

"A naïve Genin opened a door for some old Iwa Jonin to excuse their hatred of any Konoha shinobi and it was quite amusing. Blatantly they tried to grab the girl, and her Jonin intervened… I dare say I should've held our attack off and just enjoyed them all tearing each other to pieces." It grates on her nerves that one Shinobi War spent fighting alongside each other and not _against_ each other makes everybody best friends for life. At least she's not the only shinobi who's resentful, going by the pair of Iwa Jonin. Her fingers graze her forehead, but everything is still numb.

The Second Shinobi War had Konoha and Iwa at each other's throats. She rewatches the scene again in vicious smugness, when she realizes whose life the brat saved. Hmmm, Akira. That name is familiar, and finally the erring clues her in – The Land of Earth's last Daimyō's only son. Well beloved by Iwa.

Perhaps not that well loved if they're sending him on high-risk missions like this one. Delta is familiar enough with politics and the shinobi world to assume the current Daimyō likely hopes for some tragic accident to befall the boy here.

Moving on. She watches further, as far back as the first confrontation. It was meant to evaluate the main forces in this area, and the Konoha delegation was an unpleasant surprise. But she was there for most of it, and it always bored her to watch a recording of her in it – about to shut off the feed inside of her cyber-eyes only she can see –

Red eyes.

Sharingan.

Young eyes – _weak_ eyes! Not Sasuke Uchiha's eyes. She watches until one of the girl's comrades utters her name in foolishness and arrogance and everything the ninja world reverted to these days.

Tactics run through her mind in quick succession; the mission is complete – playing mouse and cat is only fun until the cat is needed somewhere more important and while this is a sorry attempt at a protection squad she still managed to identify too many of Iwa's best Jonin and a master Byakugan wielder amongst them. It'll take too long and she needs to keep an eye on the situation at Kiri. That's the main battle – and both Kara and the Allied Forces are no fools to both not be ready for it. Then she'll go to Lightning Country, and capture Kawaki. That he thinks they don't know where he's hiding out since running from the Hokage is utterly foolish of him, and for that he'll be punished severely.

Another option is – no, no. the mission. The objective. The _**Cube**_, damn it all. She'll leave this for another day.

Sarada Uchiha.

She'll allow the girl to develop her eyes further before she comes for them. (Not as far as her father had, because that'll just be another pain to deal with).

"We're done here." Delta declares, allowing the ninja to keep their little trinket they're transporting; what need does _she_ have with nature chakra anyway? She is beyond it. Kara is beyond it.

* * *

Sarada

"My legs are going to fall out!" Shikadai hisses in whisper so neither Jonin hears him.

"We have been walking for a good three days." Sumire surmises, falling into step next to Sarada.

"At least the rain is letting up." Inojin comforts mildly. "Though our clothes are still wet and these cloaks sure weigh me down."

"Stuff it in your bag, Yamanaka!" Wasabi calls, already doing so.

"It'll weight the same." Shikadai points out tiredly, passing a hand through his tight ponytail tiredly.

"At least it won't feel like your drowning in your own clothes." Wasabi shrugs logically, her short hair already looks dry despite the small drizzle still falling on them.

At the end all the Genin ignore the drizzle as they near Earth Country and take off their hooded coats except Shikadai who's still got a bit of an injury and decides he doesn't want to let it get wet.

"I think I see the border." Sarada blinks her Sharingan away. Next to her, Sumire didn't try and sneak a glance at her red and black eyes, having seen them activate several times during their morning practices, and that time during their academy graduating exam.

Amusingly, Inojin and Namida squint their eyes. "Where?" Inojin demands. "It's called trees Sarada."

Shikadai rolls his eyes. "With her Sharingan, guys."

"You used to be on the watch out a lot, Sarada-chan?" Moegi-sensei asks curiously.

Sarada nods. "Konohamaru-sensei would keep me checking for borders and spying eyes usually."

"You're right. Three hours ahead." Hanabi-sensei hums calmly, glancing at Sarada approvingly.

"Can the Sharingan see everywhere like Hanabi-sensei's eyes, Sarada-chan?" Namida asks, squeezing one of her pigtails to let out some of the rainwater.

"I don't think so." Sumire says. "I mean, then the Hyuga wouldn't be so unique, right?"

"I thought it could only place others under Genjutsu." Wasabi admits, stretching her arms above her head like a cat.

"Nah, it can also do other stuff." Inojin corrects, and Sarada glares at him for acting all high and mighty and knowledgeable when it's all from pestering her as kids and then teasing her that she can't do half of what her dad can.

"It sees better than regular eyes, anyways." She answers before anybody else can throw another random guess. "I can't see everything like Hanabi-sensei can, but I see better than others. So if somebody is watching us from a far, I'd see them probably better then they'll see me and if you can't see a border watchtower because we're not close enough to notice it yet, my eyes can vaguely see it before you."

"So…" Wasabi blinks at her. "Like the Byakugan then?"

Sarada sighs and looks up at Hanabi pleadingly to try this time.

Hanabi huffs a small breath of amusement and thankfully decides to help. "_Byakugan!_" veins appear around her eyes, and the purple eyes deepen, almost throbbing.

Shikadai and Inojin stare at those pronounced features as the focus seems to shift like she's watching things none of them can see. Then she disables the Byakugan and tells them "Three levels watchtower. Three Iwa ninja on break, five on the higher levels. One going down the staircase as we speak to the ground level to meet our front teams, already approaching." Her eyes crinkle in amusement at the Genin's expressions of awe (her own three students clearly seen this already). Then she explains. "You see, while my eyes can see through walls and distance, Uchiha eyes cannot. While Uchiha eyes can see everything much sharply and cast powerful genjutsu, mine cannot. On this however our abilities align and both I and Sarada-chan can see the approaching tower ahead before all of you can."

_**Hanabi-sensei…managed to become scarier.**_

"Ahem." Moegi-sensei pouted. "I knew the watchtower was there. I can tell you the ninja you spotted were Chunin, Jonin, and another Chunin respectively."

Sarada shoots Inojin a fierce stare because how did Moegi-Sensei know that and in such detail?

Shikadai shakes his head, grim under the other's similar stares and Inojin grins as he whispers "She'll skin us alive." And Sarada figures she's not going to learn Moegi-sensei's secrets anytime soon.

Hanabi-sensei waves her off calmly. "It's not the same. We're speaking of sight."

Moegi didn't seem overjoyed at the dismissal, and the group walked on, Genin too tired for too much conversation and too on edge at the long silence from their enemies to allow themselves to be too distracted.

Once past the border, all the teams are instructed to run at full speed through Earth Country without pause. By sundown the scenery changes so drastically it's mind blowing; broken heavy green trees turned to skinny dry ones, grass turned to earth and dry dust, bushes and shrubs to boulders and rocks, and the thickness of the forest turns to open fields and wide barren lands.

_**It's so hot I can't believe I miss the rain.**_

But in two days they make it to their destination right outside The Village Hidden in the Rocks without any further attacks by Delta.

Their party sets camps up, eating and resting for all the shinobi while a group of people took the small package as soon as it's arrived and left with it.

"We're to make sure the security is set up without a problem and once target is securely in Iwa hands, we can start heading home." Moegi-sensei announces once they've finished eating. "Now off to bed all of you! You look like stringy noodles!"

There are groans and grim faces as the genin shuffle to their sleeping bags miserably. Like Hanabi-sensei predicted, they haven't stopped for rest the whole way here besides short sleeping shifts, too paranoid to linger after Kara's assault.

The next morning they're woken at 5 am by Hanabi-sensei personally. Sarada knows it's Moegi-sensei's idea and can't deny it's brilliance. Even if Chocho were here she would've gotten up in an instant, wide awake, if she woke up to the sight of the purple eyes of the Hyuga. It's jarring, truth be told.

They all pack up, and stretch slowly, sore muscles after the journey.

She notices that for Namida Shikadai and Inojin it's hard to even get up. Silently she thanks Lee-san for being the crazy boundaries-pushing ninja that he is. Shikadai looks a bit ruffled about that, throwing little calculating glances at her when she keeps up with the more athletic Wasabi and Sumire. Frankly even Sarada can admit she's never been strong physically (unless she used her chakra to help increase her strength). As an Uchiha with perfect chakra control she almost didn't feel like pushing herself in Taijutsu as much as Metal and Wasabi ever did during their academy days.

_**Good thing I've good all that free time now,**_ she thinks dryly. Still, it's a true perk to allow herself to enjoy Shikadai's expression. She'll remember that next time Lee-san's practice is pure hell and sweat and pain (mostly just for Sarada, Metal seems to really enjoy himself).

She's starting to really see Taijutsu's benefit during long missions; you don't need to exert chakra on speed and stamina. It's nice. She resolves to keep training with Lee-san and Metal.

They all stuff their sleeping bags back into their backpacks and refold the tent tiredly.

"Ready? We're going to meet up with Iwa shinobi to see for ourselves that the object is all set and secure." Moegi announces, and they all strap their bags over their backs and follow, ready to finish this long mission and head home to Konoha.

They head to the facility ahead, that can't only function as a guarding place for one small package, right? The structure is wide and round, as is Rock Country style, and muddy color and Sarada wouldn't be surprised if it was crafted and built by a clever Earth Element Jutsu. There are Iwa shinobi hanging off hooks and perches attached all around the facility, watching the distance and hanging like birds on the roof. Interesting, but they've got to be getting a headache like that, with no shadows to cover them against the hard hot sun. But there also won't be anything at all that could obscure their vision, Sarada concedes.

At the entrance a Jonin they recognize waits for them.

"You're Hero-san, right?" Shikadai asks the man, glancing up at him.

The Jonin grins. "Nice to see you all again! Come on in, I'll be your guide. This place can be a bit of a maze."

"We appreciate it." Moegi says diplomatically, and they walk in. Instantly the sun's heat is gone from their necks and the relief is immense. Sarada sighs, and apparently the other Genin show it in some way, because Hero grins at them kindly.

"Rough terrain at Iwa I'm afraid. But we locals are used to it."

Well Sarada's used to flying through forests without making a single sound, so she supposes it makes sense.

They walk for a bit in silence, and eventually the two Konoha Jonin leg behind, talking amongst themselves. Shikadai (exploiting the moment, Sarada bets) takes the opportunity to nonchalantly comment "All this for some small object. The enemy must've really wanted it, eh? Troublesome…"

"You weren't briefed on what it is? I guess it makes sense, the less who know the less likely the enemy was to find out who's travelling with what."

Shikadai glances at Sarada who nods. Denki's words echo in Sarada's head.

"Can you tell us what our cargo was? Or is that classified?" Inojin asks bluntly but lightly, knowing the ninja is either under a gag order or isn't and they might as well just ask.

Hero doesn't seem to mind and nods. "You kids ever hear of Natural Energy?"

Shikadai shrugs but nods, Inojin looks politely confused. Wasabi shakes her head "Natural what?" beside her Namida is watching the building design with interest. Sumire is walking a part ways away from them at the back with the Jonin, and seems to be debating taking the pills the Iwa sensor gave her with Hanabi-sensei.

"Mm." Sarada makes a non-committal reply. She knows it's a bit different, as Mitsuki in Sage-Mode has it, but he never explained it extensively to team 7, so she won't mind a professional explanation.

"It's a source of energy in the atmosphere. It's very rare for a ninja to be able to gather that energy to themselves. If they combine it with their own chakra, they can use it, and it is very powerful and unique to regular chakra. Let's say, not everybody's systems can withstand it." Hero explains.

Sage-Mode allows you to use Natural Energy…interesting.

"How powerful is it?" Inojin inquires, a blond strand of hair on his cheek, having escaped his low pony tail through the journey.

Hero chuckles but instead says "It's hard for shinobi to gather that energy, and along the years we've come up with ways to try and draw some of it up and use it. Wasn't much effective, so those attempts ceased some time ago, around the Second Great Shinobi War."

They stopped walking, facing a little window showing a containment room. There are no guards, but Sarada can guess why they aren't worried; every inch of space on the walls, ceiling, and floor, is covered in ink; the whole room is a giant seal, stopping anybody from getting the small hovering gem midair at the center.

Namida crowded closer to look at it shyly. "It's pretty." She says in surprise.

"It's shining." Shikadai notes, head cocked to the side.

"It's flying." Wasabi barks, like they're all crazy. "I think that's the first thing to notice."

"It's well protected." Sarada looks at the symbols across the large seal curiously, but she only knows what fuijutsu the academy taught, which is pretty basic stuff.

"It has to be. It's the only product close to success in those tests we got to." Hero agrees, leaning on the glass wall and peering into the room, the only one of them who could, seeing as it's a high long window and they're twelve and he's an adult. "Doesn't really work for a shinobi, but place it at the middle of a good seal on the ground with trees and some earth to connect to, and it'll use up all the Natural Energy it's placed on for you to convert for whatever you need." Hero gives them a significant look. "Let's say we don't want to know what Kara would ever do with such a powerful tool. The Sustainability Stone…" he grunts, leaning back. "Makes the hardest of Rituals an easy thing to perform."

"Damn." Inojin whistles, pale eyes widening. "Has anyone ever tried stealing it before?"

"Snake Sannin. Quite famously." Came the immediate reply. Sarada's eyes fixated from the stone to the Iwa Jonin because _**what****?**_

"Seriously?" She can't help but ask, and winces when Shikadai and Hero glance at her. Shikadai catching she might know something about the legendry Konoha missing nin (who's not missing at all, ironically. In fact there are Konoha ninja constantly guarding him) and Hero because she's the only one in their group to really realize how bad it'll be for _Orochimaru_to get that artifact which means somebody knows what he's talking about.

"We read about the Legendary Sannin in class, didn't we Namida?" Wasabi asks, and Inojin hums in agreement. Namida tears her eyes away from the stone to nod.

"Well, Iwa might have lost it to Ame during the third shinobi world war, but we both agreed The Snake Sannin shouldn't have it." Hero explains. "Thought Madara would try and get it, but Ame never reached out during that time."

Shikadai raises a brow. "Could it be because after the fourth war it turned out Amekagure was controlled by two members of Akatsuki?" he asks dryly. Rain Country overtook a famously rigorous makeover under the Allied Forces watchful eye after the fourth war. At least they finally have a stable government.

Hero laughs. "Yeah kid, but we couldn't have dreamed of such a thing at the time. They could've used it anytime they wanted, and likely did since none of us still understand how they knew to wake up the Gedō Mazō the first time 'round."

The Gedo what? What they learned about the 4th shinobi war at the academy was a lot (it was real crazy stuff too) but this was such a frankly honest account she's not sure she's heard of most of what he's saying. Sarada glances at Shikadai, and notices so do Wasabi and Inojin. He doesn't seem to be frowning so maybe it's something somewhere in their old textbooks…and suddenly Sarada feels guilty she didn't pay closer attention to those details. But really history names of things are a hard thing to remember especially when you also need to remember all the famous ninja and their weaknesses (the academy has been adamant about that since the dead resurrected against them during the last war and are unlikely to let up for a while).

"Well, now you know what you helped protect. Pretty worth it, wasn't it?" Hero asks. Sarada isn't sure if he means 'kept it from Kara hands' or 'brought it back to Iwa after we lost it in a war to another country' so she doesn't respond.

Neither does Inojin, who furrows his brows a bit at the foreign Jonin.

"Yeah pretty badass." Wasabi cheers.

"I knew it wasn't a person." Shikadai grins, trying to pretend he's not doing the whole 'I told you so' thing of his that's so annoying but he hasn't dropped entirely since they were kids. It's a challenge not to roll her eyes.

"I'm glad it's safe now." Namida sighs in relief.

"That's tight fuijutsu." Moegi-sensei's voice breaks over as the last three join them. "It's in good hands now, and the mission's quite over. I think we'll take our leave, Hero-san." She grins mildly.

Sumire watches the room with wide eyes, glancing at all the words on the large seal. She nods to herself, clearly impressed.

Hero nods. "We are thankful for the assistance, Moegi-san, Hyuga-san."

Hanabi-sensei nods and gestures to all the Genin to follow before turning and heading to the exit of the building.

"Konoha was happy to pitch in! Come on ducklings!" Moegi-sensei calls, and they bid the Iwa Jonin farewell.

_-End Sustainability Stone Arc! Next chapter we're back at the village_

* * *

_Sorry sorry sorry! I posted the puppy from hell fic recently where i mentioned this fic and my other unfinished works are NOT abandoned and I meant it! I've just been going through a rough patch and quarantine with the people I'm currently living with hasn't helped matters. Lately I'm getting out of my funk, and back to writing!_  
_Please leave a review, even if it's small or a correction to spelling you noticed - they keep me motivated to write more and write better_


	16. Chapter 16

_Thank you for the supportive reviews! _

_WHOOPP! another chapter so soon!_

Quick reminder that this fic is a part of a multi fic series – it'll be complete in like 5 chapters (I'm so proud of my progress in this and how close we are) and then I'll post part 2 – which follows the journey of _**Sasuke**_ and _**Boruto **_and_** Kawaki**_! So soon we'll see more of other characters as well! So enjoy these last few chapters because it'll be awhile before I return to Sarada-chan!

Disclaimer: Not mine. Also warning: usual depictions of violence for this fandom

* * *

_Chapter 16_

Heading home, there were a few small conversations about the ways a ninja could utilize the sustainability stone, but overall it was focused silence. They've lost a lot of chakra and stamina over the mission, and the run back to the village across two countries is much more direct and quick but also tiresome and they all hurry back to the village.

They take two stops – one taking turns taking naps to restore some energy when they cross back to Rain Country, and another when they finally, finally pass the border back into Fire Country.

They settle for another night, this time instead of camp they go to another inn. Their downstairs Dango shop is famously good and ninja friendly.

It's a bright afternoon when their village is only a couple of hours away, and the group slows to a walk, the Jonin feeling it's safe enough to relax a little.

Hanabi and Moegi seem to be discussing Kara in hushed voices, and the other Genin speculate about what the other artifacts being guarded now could be. (_'I bet there's a real water dragon in Kiri.' 'Not again Wasabi.' 'What?! Weird stuff always happens there, it's the hidden MIST!' 'So troublesome_.') Sarada keeps her eyes forward, hard feelings gone but doubts still lingering from the overall ordeal now that the mission is nearly done and over with.

Sumire slides next to Sarada on the walk and leans closer, speaking softly. Sarada is sure she won't be overheard by anyone else.

The words are blunt. "I was dangerous to my friends once too." The purple haired girl's eyes seem much older than 12. It's not the pale empty Hyuga purple. It's steely and deep dark and full of things her friend is really good at hiding. "And Boruto told me they wouldn't care, as long as I was okay and didn't leave them." She smiles nostalgically. "Sarada, don't distance yourself from us… I know what you're going through and we _don't_ care. Besides, who better to handle being your friends than a bunch of ninja?" She grins encouragingly, and gives Sarada her space.

Wasabi asks loudly about the blackberries as a distraction that is fairly obvious but also much welcome and Sumire and Sarada share an amused glance. They tell the story of the giant raccoon that escaped from training grounds 3 to invade their training. Sarada allows herself to be cheered up a bit if only for the amused tilt to Hanabi's lips as she listens in.

Once things calm down and they're walking comfortably again, Sarada politely tunes out Namida's voice as the kunoichi walks close to Sumire and gently asks her how her summons is doing.

Walking should be driving her crazy by this point, but instead she's content watching the forests around their direct path to the main gates of Konoha. She's missed them. This. Home.

Rain and Rock countries are rather miserable in comparison, although maybe she's fonder of this atmosphere because it's nostalgic.

"Woop!" Wasabi jumps up with more energy than Sarada can think to muster right now and she's a bit impressed. "The front gates! We totally made it!"

Namida hops happily. "We did it! An SSS-class mission!" she smiles, burying her chin hidden by her palms. Her comfy jacket still damaged, and would likely need to be replaced.

As they head through the direct main path into Konoha they're joined by merchants and travelers and other passing fellow Konoha shinobi. They even spot one ANBU which is always exciting.

"I think Fox." Sarada joins in the speculation that follows.

"No way! That mask looked nothing like a fox!" Inojin patronizes, horrible as always when it comes to art and believing he can see the true intent of the ANBU masks no matter what but there's no way it was a horse. _**Fox is cooler anyways.**_

"Hey, that's your dad." Wasabi points, elbowing Shikadai.

Nara Shikamaru seems to be pestering the front gates guards as they approach.

Shikadai groans. "Is he serious? I can make it through a mission without breaking my neck, thank you very much." He says, frowning at his dad's concern. Nobody mentions his slight blush.

Or that he broke his shoulder.

They hear a familiar voice behind them.

"Oh, looks like we made it right after you guys, huh?!" cheerfully.

They turn to see Lord Seventh smiling at them, carrying on his back –

"Mom?" Inojin blinks, eyes widening slowly when he realizes what he's seeing. He jumps forward, eyes never leaving his mother.

"Finally, you two!" Shikamaru-san's grumpy voice calls, appearing right next to Inojin and glaring at his former teammate and Hokage.

Their entire group moved closer to the pair as well, concerned.

"Haha, sorry sorry. Didn't mean to make you worry, Shikamaru." Naruto says calmly.

"Ino-san, are you well?" Hanabi-sensei asks calmly.

"My damn chakra ran out!" Ino Yamanaka snarls, her long blond ponytail whipped back in her annoyance. "Naruto had to carry me like some weakling." She huffs.

"Hey now, the hospital can patch your leg just as well as you could have." Naruto tries to appease.

"Phht. Just take me straight to Sakura." Ino grumbles and turns to Shikamaru-san. "Shikamaru did you get the Intel I sent you?"

Shikamaru-san nods. "Loud and clear, just couldn't respond. Don't worry, we've sent a team."

Ino seems very relieved. "Good, I wasn't sure with that distance if it'll reach." She looks around. "Where's my husband?"

"Sai volunteered to be the head of the pursuit team." Shikamaru-san tells her with satisfaction.

Ino blinks and bursts in laughter. "Hahahahaha! They're so dead! Shikamaru didn't you want any of them back here for questioning?"

Moegi-sensei's lips twitch like she's fighting her amusement.

Shikamaru raises his eyebrow. "Sai promised to behave."

Ino reaches past Naruto and puts a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "He's a really good liar." Like it should be obvious. Then she turns to Naruto. "And he's supposedly a genius."

Lord Seventh smirks happily at Shikamaru-san's displeased expression. With their constant bickering, Sarada knows Seventh loves it when Shikamaru gets slammed by his old teammates.

"Mom!" Inojin's voice raises, impatient.

Aunt Ino blinks down, finally looking at him, before hopping off Seventh's back and with one leg jumps on her son, hugging him tightly.

"Awwwww! My lovely son, are you worried about your Mommy?!" she screeches happily and _wow_ she loves aunt Ino but that has to be a bit embarrassing.

Sarada turns to hide her shaking laughter form a fully blushing Inojin.

"Don't worry your Mom's super cool!"

"Mom! Let! Go!" Inojin begs.

"Oi, should you be moving around so much?" Shikamaru-san grumbles, resemblance to his son uncanny.

"Ehhhh? I'm totally fine except for this stupid leg!" Aunt Ino yells at him, still hopping on one foot.

"Here" Hanabi-sensei steadies her with one hand guiding Ino by the elbow not to trip.

"Hey Ino, the barrier –" Shikamaru is cut off mid-sentence.

"Don't start scolding, I already patched it up and reconnected with it as soon as Naruto and I came through the parameters." Ino says, half glaring at her old teammate.

Shikamaru rolls his eyes, but Sarada can see he's relieved. "Fine."

"How went your mission everyone?" Ino looks around their exhausted expressions of the six Genin.

The genin look at each other, unsure how to answer.

"Ino-san you're back!" a sweet high voice rings across them all.

Ino finally lets go of Inojin to see Himawari Uzumaki run towards them with a smile big enough to rival the Hokage's.

"Hime-chan!" Ino smiles at the small girl.

"Are you okay?" Himawari's face frowns with concern like Hinata-san does, bright blue eyes slightly watery.

Ino pretends to look offended. "Of course I am!"

"I helped with flower deliveries while you were gone!" she tells her proudly.

Ino glows at the girl. "Oh! Good girl! Thank you!"

Himawari smirks, proud. "Hehe. Papa I got praised!" she shows off.

"Lucky! I only got yelled at, somehow." Naruto sighs dramatically.

"You were late!" Aunt Ino tells him, unapologetic, swaying a little on one foot, finally starting to lose balance.

"Come on, I'll help you to the clinic." Hanabi-sensei says, leading Ino with her inside the village.

"But what happened?!" Inojin finally snaps, dragging his heavy bag frustratingly.

Shikamaru-san pulls him close to him, his arm around Inojin's shoulders. "C'mon kid, no point worrying now that everything's over." He says, sauntering with Inojin after Hanabi and Ino, both listening politely as Himawari prattles on excitedly about a big dog she met on her deliveries.

Shikadai rushes to them, poking his dad with questions. "Dad, come on what happened?!"

"How was your mission, Moegi?" Naruto asks curiously, following them inside the village accompanied by Moegi-sensei, Sarada, Sumire, Wasabi, and Namida.

"Could've been worse." Is Moegi-sensei's uninspiring response.

Naruto nods as though that is good news. Perhaps it is. "Excellent!"

"Is Aunt Ino going to be alright?" Sarada finally asks, glancing at how angry her friend seems tucked under Shikamaru-san's shoulder. Shikamaru-san's grip effectively stopping Inojin from rushing to his mom and demanding questions.

"Mm, she's really barely hurt, Sarada-chan." Naruto tells her warmly, and Sarada can't help but feel like everything will be alright.

_**I want it. To be him. To be able to settle others' fears with a single comforting expression and a promise. To be able to right all wrongs. To be able to make a difference and to be a comfort for people, not something they're wary of might grow and attack them.**_

"Just drop it, Shikadai! It's all settled!" they hear Shikamaru-san's annoyed voice from up ahead, finally snapping at Shikadai's pestering. "If you want to be worried about someone, worry about Cho-Cho!" _**I don't think I've ever heard him snap before.**_

Inojin and Shikadai snap to stare at the older man.

"What happened to Cho-Cho?!" they both echo.

Sarada runs up to catch up to them, the other three girls following her.

"What's that about Cho-Cho?" Sarada asks politely, frowning.

"Well, your friend is, how do I say this?" Lord Seventh sighs.

"Is she okay?" Moegi-sensei asks sharply, eyes flashing dangerously and protectively.

"She's suspended from shinobi work for a month." Shikamaru tells them bluntly.

"Well, that's not how I would've said it." Naruto raises his eyebrow disapprovingly at Shikamaru-san, who only shrugs in response.

Wasabi shakes her head. "Seriously, how long were we away from home?"

"Almost two weeks." Sumire does the math quickly, and gets an approving nod from Seventh.

"I guess we've missed some things…" Namida mutters, glancing at Ino begrudgingly accepting Hanabi-sensei's assistance.

"Why is she suspended, Dad?!" Shikadai asks tersely. "What did she do?"

"Where do I start?" Shikamaru-san's eyebrow twitches.

"Well, she's a very driven young ninja." Naruto grins, but looks burdened as well.

"Where is she?" Moegi-sensei asks, looking between Seventh and Shikamaru-san.

"Hospital." Shikamaru-san says harshly.

"Is she -?!" Shikadai pales, green eyes widening in fear.

"No. It's Chouji." Shikamaru-san says, voice still tight and Sarada's beginning to think it might not be anger at all.

There's a tense silence as everyone is walking. Nobody needs to say it out loud to know they're heading to the hospital.

Sarada gives no mind to the fact that she's still carrying her backpack with the dirty wet coat and clothes from their long mission. She doubts the others care as well.

* * *

A woman with fiery red hair waist-length and dark skin stands in the waiting room with her back to them all, back straight and stiff, unmoving.

On the other side, on one of the chairs, sits Cho-Cho, holding her knees to her chest.

"Cho-Cho?" Shikadai phrases it as a question, and walks over to her.

Ino is set down carefully on another vacant chair, wincing. Inojin sits next to her, looking conflicted about what to be upset about more, so Sarada goes to Cho-Cho's other side.

Cho-Cho doesn't react that they're there. Her hair is a mess and her white sleeveless kimono dirty and battle worn with bits of ash and concrete dust covering it giving it a white overall color.

Some healers rush pass.

"Shizuna-oneesan." Sarada spots the black haired woman.

Shizuna stops by them when Ino hisses as she shifts her weight.

"Ino? What's wrong with your leg?" Shizuna comes over to them.

"Never mind that, how's Chouji?" Ino asks.

Cho-Cho's mother turns slightly, listening intently.

"We still don't know, but Sakura's getting tired so I'll replace her for a bit and she can restore her chakra for a while." While she explains everything calmly and assuring, her voice carrying across the entire waiting area, she's also healing Ino's leg not looking like it's any hard work or requires any form of concentration.

Sarada has some basic idea of how complicated and difficult medic-ninjutsu is, and while her mom's the best in her books, Shizuna is the only one Sarada knows who has the gift of managing to make it appear as easy as breathing and almost fun.

"Thank you, Shizuna-san." Lord Seventh tells her gently, grinning awkwardly at the tense situation.

She nods, satisfied with Ino's leg, and swoops out of the room through the doors leading to the emergency room.

It's half an hour later that Sarada's mom comes in through the doors, tired but eyes sharp, pink hair tied back.

Like pieces of metal, Cho-Cho and her mother gravitate towards her.

Sakura's eyes scan the waiting room quickly, lingering a moment longer on Sarada to scan her for visible injuries. "He's stable, but still weak. We're raising his vitals right now, but with enough recovery time he should be fine. No shinobi work for three weeks." Sakura informs them all, her focus on the two family members.

The woman with the red hair sighs heavily. "Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura nods. "Of course, Kurai."

Cho-Cho suddenly tears off her headband, looking down at it.

"Useless." She calls.

"Cho-Cho!" Kurai-san says sharply, glancing at Naruto.

"I'm so _useless_!" Cho-Cho's voice breaks.

Kurai's strict features soften.

"He had to… I couldn't even save my own Dad…_hic hic_, he had to save him and I just…_hic_."

Drops softly fall on the engraved Leaf shinobi symbol, sliding off the metal onto the floor.

Kurai places a hand comfortingly on her daughter's bowed head.

"Do not break child. Grow. You are young. Grow." She says, as if watering her.

"I second that." Lord Seventh says, grinning kindly at Cho-Cho. "Take this month to regroup, and come back smarter. Is that a deal?" She doesn't answer him, but Naruto doesn't seem like he expected an answer. "Well, Ino?"

Ino sighs heavily, but with a reassuring nod from Sakura that her old teammate will really make a full recovery with time, she nods and gets up.

"I'll see you at home, Inojin." She presses her fingers on his shoulder before leaving with Naruto and Shikamaru, who gives Kurai an apologetic look for being unable to stay.

"Shikadai." Shikamaru says, and then leaves.

Shikadai looks up at his Dad, watching him until he's gone from sight. He looks at Inojin, who's frowning at the wall, unsure what to be demanding to know about first.

Sumire, Wasabi, and Namida stand at the corner, trying not to impose, next to Hanabi-sensei who's calmly leaning on a wall where she wouldn't be in the way of any of the passing medic-nin.

Moegi-sensei stands next to Kurai, exchanging quiet conversation with the worried woman.

Shikadai and Sarada exchange looks. Sarada shakes her head – nothing makes sense to her either.

Cho-Cho sniffs, hand coming up to wipe her face. She finally looks up; red rimmed eyes avoiding everyone.

"…How did your mission go?" Cho-Cho asks, voice barely quivering.

Well, if she wants to ignore the loaded tension in the air – or that they're at the hospital – Sarada supposes that's what friends are for.

"Hanabi-sensei kicked all of our asses into the mud. It was awesome." Sarada tells her.

That gets her a raised eyebrow from her mom, but Cho-Cho grins, and its bittersweet.

Sarada will take it.

* * *

"You seem particularly energetic this evening, Sarada-chan." Lee-san smiles encouragingly, his teeth somehow sparkling as he does. "Excellent!"

Sarada pants, her chest raising and falling. Team Hanabi-sensei left shortly after Chocho's dad came out of immediate danger, heading to the Inuzuka vet clinic to have a look at Nue. After that, they slowly dispersed, too tired to stay long after returning from such a long term mission. Having spent the entire afternoon after a quick shower sleeping her mission fatigue off, she woke up with frustrations in spades that both Aunt Ino and Cho-Cho have somehow been harmed while she's been away. Aunt Ino, according to rumors around the village, was kidnapped to hurt Konoha's protective barrier. Sarada still hasn't gotten the whole story from Cho-Cho.

"Yes, Sarada's growing into the spirit of youth, Papa!" Metal smiles, throwing his fist in the air, barely worked up unlike Sarada who's already feeling her muscles complaining.

Sarada shakes her head at him quickly behind Lee-san's back, worried about what she already knows the duo is planning. They're not very subtle.

"I have an announcement!" Lee calls, drawing them away from the weights they've been tossing to the distance (no chakra enhancing to add strength allowed for Sarada).

_**I'm not leaving tonight without ending up in a green jumpsuit, am I?**_

"That's really not – " her voice goes unheard at Lee-san's speech.

"Sarada, now that you've passed the first few levels of Taijutsu mastery with us,"

Sarada stares at him – has she? Standing next to Metal, it sure doesn't feel like it, but then again, they've been training for years in just Taijutsu so she shouldn't have expected to catch up so easily.

"We'll add Shurikenjutsu to our evening training as well, and combine the two!"

Sarada blinks. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, we usually train with tools in the late mornings, when Aunt Ten-Ten attacks us with an arsenal of weapons." Metal grins like it's completely normal. It's not; Sarada's seen Ten-Ten-san's collection… It strikes Sarada how incredible it is that Metal survived his childhood enough to become her friend at the academy.

"We figured with you favoring Shuriken like you do, it'll be a nice combination." Lee nods, teeth brilliant and bright. "And a nice challenge for Metal-kun and myself."

"Thank you." Sarada says, hesitant. "Are you sure, Lee-san? Shurikenjutsu is a combination of-"

"Taijutsu and Ninjutsu." Lee-san nods. "Yes, which is why we'll work on your form when throwing them together, but you'll be the sole attacker and we'll hold you off with only Taijutsu. It won't be much different from our practices with Ten-Ten, just perhaps not as bloody." He acknowledges, like that's a sad thing, but he's willing to sacrifice that much. "Now that your stamina has been raised, we'll also focus on your flexibility – it'll be imperative for a long ranged shuriken user."

Aware that they're changing their schedules to help her, she bows and grins. "Thank you."

Lee-san waves her off. "Be ready for tomorrow and bring all the shuriken you've got. And call me Lee-sensei! Since you've passed the test period that my other apprentices over the years didn't!"

"Yes!" she calls. As the residing taijustu master in a great shinobi village, it makes sense Genin will come to him for guidance if they're interested in advancing at it. That none of them stood his vigorous first test of resilience is surprising…but also not really, she thinks, glancing at all the weights they've been tossing without chakra tonight. She decidedly cannot feel her arms, which is a feeling she's long since used to associating with Lee and Metal.

She'll have to be ready for tomorrow and bring everything she's got – she knows if it's too easy to evade her attacks it'll frustrate them. If they're helping her out, she should at least make it challenging for the pair.

"And Sarada-chan."

Sarada nods, returning to attention.

"Don't hold back." the Jonin said, for once serious. "Now, onto something even more important. You can feel honored that you've been gifted –"

Sarada should've known. She really _really_ should've known.

A green spandex appears in Lee-sensei's hands. "- something only few were privileged to wear!"

Next to her, Metal's eyes are shining in happy camaraderie.

Sarada looks from one extremely excited face to another identical one.

_**Oh well…I hope Papa doesn't disinherit me for this… and Inojin never sees me in it.**_

"…Thank you very much." She says humbly, a little in defeat.

Lee-sensei and Metal then proceed to explain to her the many places wearing the jumpsuit will assist her, and all of its amazing functions, while Sarada's mentally listing reasons why you shouldn't burn gifts with one's trademark Uchiha fire jutsu. When Lee-sensei suggests she arrives wearing it for tomorrow's practice, she's viciously pleased to realize she'll be attacking them with full force soon enough. She kind of can't wait to throw some shuriken at them, if she's honest.

* * *

Reminded of Ten-Ten Sarada drags herself to her store that night, just before closing, to collect her order.

"Oh, Sarada-chan!" Ten-Ten calls in greeting upon seeing her.

"Hello." She bows politely and tries to hide her wince from the older kunoichi. Lee-sensei's training leaves her so sour. "I came for the erring."

"Hi!" Ten-Ten hums, going to get her order from behind the counter.

Sarada walks around the displays, checking out the different weapons wondering if she should get some to try on Lee-sensei and Metal.

"Here it is. Quite a masterpiece, truly. Shouldn't melt from fire ninjutsu or take damage from water and wind ninjutsu either, just like ninja weapons. And look – it's so pretty!" Ten-Ten hands her the box.

Sarada opens it and the artwork is beautiful; a small fan, red and white after the Uchiha clan symbol, dangling off a short erring, small and unobtrusive but easily recognizable.

Sarada looks at Ten-Ten's pleased smile and feels her stomach fall. After what Moegi-sensei said in their mission, Sarada knew she can't wear it carelessly like she wanted to.

"…Thank you very much." Sarada says, knowing you can't ask for refund for special orders. Well, maybe it'll still be okay to wear inside the village…

"Please come back soon, valued costumer!" Ten-Ten-san sings in goodbye and Sarada is about to leave, rather dejected, when she remembers something.

"Ten-Ten-san, maybe I shouldn't ask, but a shinobi is supposed to use any means in their disposal…"

Ten-Ten at least looks intrigued. "This isn't you and Yamanaka-kun asking me to mentor you again, is it?"

"Not this time." Because even though that idea is still cool even she has enough on her plate for right now. "It's about Lee-san and Metal."

The older woman raises a brown eyebrow curiously. "Oh those two, this should be fun."

"I'm hoping to make it fun." She mutters before asking "How close to deadly are they really okay with, when somebody attacks them as a training exercise?"

Ten-Ten grins smugly and happily answers her.

* * *

The next day Sarada meets up with Inojin, listening to him vent his annoyance at his clan.

"So let me get this right, your mom gets taken by enemies and the elders freak out realizing they need more barrier experts." When Inojin nods Sarada whistles, sipping from her milkshake. "If that isn't the most self centered thing I've heard of…"

"Now, I'm having intense training every day in Barrier Jutsu. It's ridiculous! Mom's the best at it in the entire clan anyways, not like me studying it now will make any difference for years until I've mastered how the village barrier works. They should be more focused on making sure Mom's safer, not pestering me. Like I don't train most of the day already." Inojin sighs, leaning back on the couch at the hamburger restaurant.

Sarada knows it annoys Inojin that the training his clan elders are forcing onto him comes at the price of his painting time. "Even if they're not thinking about it, I'm sure Shikamaru-san and Seventh are going to do everything they can so Aunt Ino has no openings for enemies to take advantage of again. They'll keep her safe, don't worry."

Inojin keeps his eyes focused on his milkshake straw. "If I learned it when I was little I could've taken over for her. Then there'd be no reason for them to kidnap my Mom."

"You're too young, Inojin. You won't be able to leave the village most of the time. You won't get to see anything new."

"My mom-!"

"Has lived a life before she settled into her role as the one maintaining the barrier protecting the village." Sarada reminds him. Hell she fought a war. An end-of-the-world-is-at-the-balance war.

Inojin's expression is cleaner than normal, and Sarada knows he's trying to calm himself down. If Sai-san taught his son anything, it's always been his ability to work at calming his emotions to think through them, and focus on logic.

Sarada always found it similar to how she has to push away some of her bitter thoughts and clean her head. There's a reason beyond their moms being best friends that they both got a long well since they were little.

"Right. But I'll have to, won't I? Eventually." Inojin says, looking down at the food intently. The 'even if I don't want to' stays unspoken.

"No." Sarada tells him honestly, and he finally looks up at her, confused. "You don't. Your clan will tell you that you do, but you don't and I know your parents won't force you against your will. Your mom will keep up the job for as long as she can and then she can pass it over to one of your cousins. I mean, sure, they'd prefer to keep it in the main household, but your parents are much less traditional than the elders, and scarier." Sarada tells him, thinking of Sai-san who babysat her most of her childhood during flu seasons along with taking care of Inojin by himself and still she can't imagine calling him uncle Sai for the singular fact that she knows he'll smile at her when she does – and Sai's smiles are the scariest thing in the world.

Inojin shrugs, picking up his burger and taking a bite so he won't have to answer.

They eat in comfortable silence, sometimes making small comments about things that changed when they were gone. Eventually they finished lunch and threw away their trays.

"Chubbers hasn't talked yet." Inojin says lightly.

"Hasn't told me either, but…" Sarada shrugs when Inojin glances at her. "She came early for training this morning. And for once, she was really motivated."

"When do you guys meet up?"

"Dawn."

Inojin gapes at her, before chuckling. "You threatened her to get her up that early, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure, Uchiha. So what are the plans for today?"

"Another cat retrieval mission, and I need to set up an attack on a jonin that's good enough he's not bored." Shikamaru-san told her this morning she'll be promptly returning to her vital cat missions again, with an expression that said clearly 'you mess with me brat, you pay for it'. And who knows what Lee-san will do if he's bored.

Inojin nods like it makes perfect sense. "I got practice with Moegi-sensei, so I need a fire resistant suit and see if there's a ninjutsu that lets you breath under water."

Sarada nods, because now that she knows Moegi-sensei a little better, that statement also makes perfect sense.

"See 'ya."

"Later."

The pair of friends wave and separate.

Sarada makes her way to the Hokage's building.

_POFF!_

"Yo, Sarada! It's been a while!"

Sarada walks calmly around the figure that appeared before her.

"Hey hey, Kore! So rude." Konohamaru sighs heavily and jogs to catch up with her. "If this is now, how will I survive when you guys are teenagers?" He grumbles. "Hold up!"

Sarada rolls her eyes and stops. "Konohamaru-sensei, how was your vacation."

Konohamru cocks his head in confusion. "What vacation? Anyways, I see you got Shikamaru-san to hand you D-rank missions, not bad. I've gotten the afternoon off, so I'll join you." He waves a scroll in his hand. "I've already got the mission details, so let's go!" He calls, looking excited.

_**Gotten the afternoon off from WHAT? Shikadai did say he thought all the shinobi were up to something during their SSS-class mission. Has there been an actual reason for Konohamaru-sensei's absence?**_

Sarada shrugs and Konohamaru whoops. "Alright, let's go team 7!"

"Half of team 7." Sarada mutters, as they head to the west forest out of the village.

Konohamaru-sensei pets her on her head. "The best half!" he calls, grinning. "So, how was your ultra cool secret mission with Moegi and Hanabi-san?" he asks, blue scarf flying behind him at a ridiculous length as usual.

"It was pretty cool." She admits, especially after only cat missions. "Do you know what happened to Cho-Cho?"

Konohamaru-sensei shakes his head. "You should ask your friend, Sarada, she'll tell you when she's ready."

"…I see, you don't know." Sarada says calmly, knowing it's bound to get a rise out of her sensei.

"Hey! I totally know! I'm just giving you my very awesome advice, brat!"

Sarada hums. "Sure you do, Sensei."

Konohamaru's eyebrow twitches.

The mission goes by longer than usual. Konohamaru took this mission as an opportunity for Sarada to practice traps in the forest and they set up several with wires and large rabbit traps modified not to harm the cat. Eventually it took longer, but it was more fun. Sarada didn't realize she could both complete the cat missions and practice something practical at the same time.

"Thank you very much." The cat owner told them happily, smothering the hissing cat once they've returned it.

"Happy to help, Ma'am!" Konohamaru-sensei says cheerfully. They bow their goodbyes and head back to the central part of the village. "So, how's your training?" Konohamaru-sensei asks, looking a bit sheepish.

Sarada gives him an accusing glare. "Fine. Seventh spoke to me."

"Ah yes, I asked him to help you. He meant it when he said you'd receive whatever resources you need. Have you found your focus?"

Sarada's anger levels fall down to mere annoyance, secretly pleased her sensei didn't completely forget her. "No, the mission sort of side-tracked me." She remembers she still hasn't gone to the Sealing Unit. Remembering the complicated fuijutsu placed on the Sustainability Stone, it might be really cool to learn sealing. Then she decides she might ask for his help, feeling a bit nervous about this evening. "I've been training with Lee-san…"

Konohamaru-sensei's expression is slightly surprised at that. She tells him the story, as he listens and 'oh's and 'hmm's every once in a while. "So, I guess I'm unsure how to pose a challenge to someone like him." she admits, shoulders slumped.

"Well if he asked you to, that already means he trusts that you can." Konohamaru-sensei says. "And you're already on the right track having asked Ten-Ten-san after Lee confirmed she'd know what their weak points are. Let's prepare the grounds, just like we caught the cat, yeah?" her teacher smirks at her. "We've got a few hours, I'm sure we can set up a pretty cool playground for the enthusiastic duo."

Sarada's eyes alight with ideas suddenly. In the old Uchiha compound she had found a whole crate of giant shuriken, rusty but edges still sharp.

"Yes, sensei!"

* * *

Kyaa hope you're excited, next chapter we'll see Sarada's progress in this fic! Mostly after that we'll see a bit less missions and more inner-village plot! Hope this redeems konohmaru a little as a sensei (some things are going on without Sarada's knowledge since she's a genin, after all, so she isn't aware of everything)

Poor Chocho was due a dose of motivation, and this chapter shows the beginning of her will of fire! What the heck happened in Kiri? Who won, Allied Forces or Kara? Who knows! (I do, but like, that's it *evil laughter*)

Don't worry about Nue, she'll be okay. She's a bit like a bijuu in that most of her mass is comprised of chakra – either Sumire's or the chakra she sucked out of others when she was an academy student. Sumire (while everyone was busy fighting) sneakily sucked the bad Kara agents' chakra when she could and the chakra pills she took also helped. The Inuzaka clan's got it from here.

Inojin has real ass problems at 12 – mom was kidnapped, one day I will never again be allowed out of this village until I die. UGH. Poor kid.

Himawari-chan welcome to this fic! I've been meaning to include you for-wait for it –EVER! In case some of you have forgotten since I've posted it almost years ago, bf he left Boruto asked sarada to look out for his sister, and well, she completely forgot… but hey, she had a lot going on… sort of…

Tell me what other characters you'd like to see more of, in the village, in the upcoming chapters, in the comments! (except for: missing members of team 7, Sasuke, Kawaki, and the other kages and Suna genin team)

A little spoiler – next ch we'll see Kakashi [who's ridiculously difficult to write, btw]

Byeeeeeeee!


End file.
